Many new applicants wonder, “What is the expansion of Medicaid in Rhode Island, and how will it change my eligibility?” All Rhode Island residents should understand what the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion is and how their coverage or benefits may have changed. The ACA Medicaid expansion does not necessarily affect all Medicaid beneficiaries; however, those who have yet to apply or be approved would benefit the most. The ACA expansion of Medicaid provides a broadened scope of eligibility for low-income applicants. While the older Medicaid eligibility requirements may have had stipulations over who was eligible in terms of if they were parents or pregnant women, the new ACA expansion rules provide any adult applicant who meets the income guidelines the chance at affordable healthcare. This change through Affordable Care Act Medicaid eligibility resulted in a huge jump in enrollment numbers for the state of Rhode Island, as well as the other 30 states that accepted the ACA expansion. Changes to the Affordable Care Act Medicaid application are minimal, yet the bulk of the change after the expansion comes in the form of the ACA Medicaid expansion cost to states. Federal provisions were provided for the ACA Medicaid expansion, in order to make it easier to transition with more coverage being provided. However, there are still costs associated with the Medicaid expansion that the state must cover. Many states that opted out of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion simply could not swing the financial cost within the state budget. In order to find out more about the ACA Medicaid expansion, including more Obamacare Medicaid expansion details specific to Rhode Island, continue reviewing the information below.

Learn About the ACA Medicaid Expansion in Rhode Island

After Rhode Island accepted the ACA Medicaid expansion, federal funding covered the cost of the expansion through 2016. From 2016 moving forward, as long as the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion stays intact, Rhode Island will pay 5 percent of the expense beginning in 2017, without ever having any more than 10 percent financial responsibility. As soon as the ACA expansion of Medicaid was implemented in Rhode Island, a shift in enrollment and Medicaid coverage occurred. Rhode Island was one of the many supporters of the Affordable Care Act expansion, and immediately after the Supreme Court ruled that states had the option to accept or decline, Rhode Island accepted. This was great news for all of the Rhode Island residents that wanted to learn how to apply for Medicaid in order to obtain affordable healthcare coverage following the ACA expansion.

What does opting into the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion mean for Rhode Island?

So, what is the Obamacare Medicaid expansion in Rhode Island exactly, and how did applicants benefit? After the ACA Medicaid expansion, within the first five months, over 60,000 residents enrolled in Medicaid benefits. In total, the Obamacare Medicaid expansion helped over 115,000 Rhode Island residents receive Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, from 2013 to 2017. In addition, the ACA expansion of Medicaid led to a 58 percent reduction in the uninsured rate from 2013 to 2015. This type of response was highly beneficial for Rhode Island residents. For Rhode Island to opt in to the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, this meant that more applicants would be eligible for coverage through Medicaid who previously would not have been approved. For instance, prior to 2014, any non-disabled adults would be ineligible for Medicaid coverage if they did not have dependent children. However, the Affordable Care Act expansion provided coverage to adults without children, as long as they met the established income requirements. Under the ACA Medicaid expansion, adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) are eligible for benefits. In addition, pregnant women with household incomes up to 253 of the FPL and children with household incomes up to 261 of the FPL are eligible for affordable healthcare coverage. Download our free guide to review more information about Medicaid income requirements.

Will the Rhode Island Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion ever be repealed?

The future of the Rhode Island Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion program is unclear. While the Trump administration wishes to repeal the ACA Medicaid expansion, it still may be quite a while until this if official. But, what would it mean if the expansion of Medicaid benefits was repealed? To begin, the 100,000-plus beneficiaries who received coverage once the ACA expansion was approved would be without healthcare insurance. If lawmakers cannot replace the ACA Medicaid expansion with something comparable after it is repealed, then thousands upon thousands of Rhode Island residents would be without healthcare. Affordable Care Act Medicaid eligibility rules would be null, and Rhode Island would revert back to old regulations for eligibility. For this reason, staying on top of Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion news is necessary for all approved beneficiaries.

To learn more about the ACA expansion, download our complimentary guide.