State secures federal permission for Medicaid expansion and prepares to start enrollment Nov. 1

The federal government has approved all the changes Virginia needed to officially expand its Medicaid program in January, allowing the state to start enrollment on Nov. 1.

Virginia must change its state plan amendments in order to increase eligibility for the program to up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or $16,753 a year for an individual, and to allow access to single adults.

The approvals from the federal government have been slowly rolling in over the last several weeks and months. The final approval was secured last week, according to Karen Kimsey, chief deputy of the Department for Medical Assistance Services, which manages the state’s Medicaid program.

“This is a win-win situation for Virginia,” said Gov. Ralph Northam at a press event announcing the approved state plan amendments on Thursday. He added that Medicaid expansion “was a long time coming,” for the state. His predecessor Terry McAuliffe, also a Democrat, battled with the state’s Republican-controlled General Assembly to expand the program for years.

Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2018/10/18/virginia-secures-federal-permission-for-medicaid-expansion-and-prepares-to-start-enrollment-nov-1/