Pennsylvania: ACA Medicaid expansion already at 27K "households"

Hat Tip To: 
Mary A.

I don't know exactly how many individual people a "household" represents, but I've typically used a 1.8x multiplier to be very cautious (the Census Bureau uses 2.63x).

That suggests the actual number of PA expansion enrollees is more like 49,000 people in just the first week, which would be a fantastic start.

The Corbett administration reached an agreement with the federal government this year to launch the Healthy PA program in lieu expanding Medicaid. Open enrollment in the program has started and coverage will take effect Jan. 1.  However Governor-elect Tom Wolf says he will scrap Healthy PA and opt in to Medicaid expansion.

The impending switch apparently has confused many low-income Pennsylvanians, and some are sitting on the sidelines rather than signing up for coverage.

“The most important things is for people to enroll and to get their names on the list,” said State Rep. Vincent Hughes (D- Philadelphia).  “If they are not on the list then they won’t get the coverage."

Despite the confusion, more than 27,000 households applied for coverage in the first week of enrollment, which began Dec. 1.

Advertisement