The Corbett administration has made its alternative proposal to the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion available to the public.
It’s one step closer to receiving federal review of a plan that would allow hundreds of thousands of people to enroll in private health insurance plans subsidized with federal funds.
State Department of Public Welfare Secretary Bev Mackereth notes one of the proposal’s controversial conditions is that participants be engaged in a work search through a state website.
"We do understand that it’s something that has not been requested by other states," she said. "However, in our discussions around this the federal government recognized that we believe that it is extremely important. We’d like the federal government to consider allowing Pennsylvania to shape our structure for Medicaid and health insurance."
The Corbett administration plans to submit the formal waiver after a series of hearings conclude in mid-January.
The federal Department of Health and Human Services will have 30 days to review it.
The agency approved a plan from Arkansas that would also use federal money to subsidize private health insurance for low-income participants.
But Mackereth has said the commonwealth’s health system doesn’t remotely resemble the one in Arkansas.
The proposal can be found here: http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/ucmprd/groups/webcontent/documents/document/p_039654.pdf
