From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected yet another attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). [1] This is huge and a victory for families across the country—the ACA is here to stay!
While we celebrate this decision, it is also important to recognize that this Republican-led effort to rip health care away from tens of millions of people happened in the middle of a pandemic! Furthermore, the fight against expanding health coverage is still alive and well in over a dozen states as their legislatures refuse to adopt (or in some cases implement) the expansion of health care to low-income uninsured adults. [2] We need a federal solution to help get health coverage to the more than two million poor uninsured adults who live in these non-expansion states. [3]
*Quick signature at https://action.momsrising.org/sign/congress_coverage_gap: Tell Congress to close the coverage gap for people in states that refuse to expand Medicaid! *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on to the letter below if we already have your information.
What’s the deal? When the ACA passed, Congress intended for low-income uninsured adults to gain coverage through the expansion of Medicaid—a joint federal and state program that provides health insurance coverage to millions of people across the country. However, a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision made the expansion of Medicaid optional for states. [4] Thus far, 38 states including Washington, D.C. have expanded Medicaid, but there are still 12 states refusing the expansion which has left millions of people in the Medicaid coverage gap.
These 12 states are primarily in the South, where eligibility for Medicaid is still extremely limited. For example, the median income limit for parents to qualify for Medicaid is just 41% of the poverty level or an annual income of $8,905 for a family of three in 2020. And in nearly all of these states, childless adults remain ineligible for coverage altogether. [5]
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important it is for everyone to have health care coverage, especially in communities where large health disparities have long been present. In states that expanded Medicaid, racial disparities in both coverage and access to care has drastically decreased. In fact, the gap in uninsured rates between white and Black adults shrunk by 51% in expansion states. [6] Medicaid expansion was also associated with a significantly lower rate of maternal death. Expansion of Medicaid with improved access to coverage and care is crucial, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis.
When you click, you’ll automatically sign on to our letter that reads:
Dear Member of Congress,
The COVID-19 pandemic has made crystal clear the need for everyone to have access to quality, affordable health care coverage. However, there are still 12 states refusing to expand Medicaid, leaving over 2 million uninsured poor adults left in the Medicaid coverage gap with no realistic access to health coverage.
With the majority of these states in the South, more than 55% of uninsured adults are Black, Hispanic, or Asian, reaching as high as 72% in some states. The residents of these 12 states—especially people of color—are being denied the right, benefits, and dignity of health care coverage granted to Americans in the other 38 states. Congress fully intended this right when it expanded Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act.
In states that have expanded Medicaid, there have been great strides taken toward narrowing racial health gaps, including fewer maternal deaths for Black and Hispanic women. Medicaid expansion has saved lives across the country, as well as saving money and improving people’s overall health and well-being. These benefits should not be denied to Americans simply because of where they live—especially in regions that already bear long, enduring legacies of structural racism and violence.
Please support a federal solution to close the health coverage gap for people in states that refuse to expand Medicaid.
The more people who speak out, the bigger our impact. Please take a moment to forward our action link to your friends and family and share it on social media: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/congress_coverage_gap
Together we are a powerful voice for the health of families.
References:
[1] NBC News, Supreme Court spares Obamacare from GOP challenge[2] Kaiser Family Foundation, Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map
[3] Kaiser Family Foundation, The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States that Do Not Expand Medicaid
[4] Kaiser Family Foundation, A Guide to the Supreme Court’s Decision on the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion
[5] Kaiser Family Foundation, The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States that Do Not Expand Medicaid
[6] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Medicaid Expansion Has Helped Narrow Racial Disparities in Health Coverage and Access to Care
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