Chris Christie announced today that New Jersey would be participating expanding Medicaid through the Obamacare provisions. The Huffington Post reports:
Expanding Medicaid in New Jersey would provide new health care coverage to an estimated 291,000 people through 2022, according to an analysis released by the Urban Institute and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in November. New Jersey would spend an additional $1.5 billion and receive $15.4 billion from the federal government to finance the expansion during that time period, the report predicted.
The health care reform law calls for Medicaid coverage to be available to anyone who earns up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $15,282 for a single person this year. When the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare last year, it gave states the option to refuse the Medicaid expansion because the program is jointly funded by the federal and state governments.
