States can start new Medicaid expansion Thursday, By Christopher Weaver, March 31, 2010, Miami Herald: “Starting Thursday, states can choose to take the first steps toward the massive expansion of insurance coverage that is the recent health overhaul legislation’s chief goal. For some states, that move could have the benefit of reviving funding for state-run programs that insure low-income adults. As of April 1, states can apply for federal funding to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $14,404 for an individual and $29,326.50 for a family of four. If implemented nationwide, this vast increase would bring 15 million more people into the safety-net program, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Typically, Medicaid covers children from families that earn less than the poverty level, and in some cases, their parents. Adults without children usually aren’t eligible, although some states include them…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty