One in four Michigan residents, nearly 2.5 million people, receive health care coverage through Medicaid. More than 40 percent of all births in the state are covered by the federal insurance.
So it’s unsurprising that changing eligibility rules, and requiring recipients to work, would cause controversy. The Republican-led plan has attracted national attention in part because its widespread effects, and potential to unspool a key component of the Affordable Care Act.
Proponents say the requirement would encourage more recipients to work, boost a tight labor market and save taxpayers money by moving people off the Medicaid rolls.
The reforms are still a work in progress. Bills originally required recipients to work 29 hours per week, but the requirement could drop to 20 hours per week. Likewise, a controversial exemption to counties with high unemployment rates reportedly will be dropped.
Today, Bridge Magazine looks at key arguments framing the debate, exploring three key questions through a series of maps and charts: Who would be affected? Would it save money? And would it help people get jobs?
The answers, perhaps unsurprisingly, are murky.
Big program, many recipients
Medicaid provides health care coverage for nearly 2.5 million people in Michigan. Of those, 700,000 were added with the expansion allowed by the Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare). Recipients typically must meet income qualifications. They range from the elderly and disabled to children in poverty and adults. Individuals with incomes of $16,000 and families of four making $33,400 are eligible.
Michigan annually spends $16 billion on Medicaid care. Most of the money comes from the federal government, with $4 billion coming from state sources. Half of that, roughly $2 billion, comes from general taxes.
To help visualize the impact of the changes, Bridge is illustrating the Medicaid population with blocks.