<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0B4tHR_1H52Dxrc00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0B4tHR_1H52Dxrc00" width="800" height="848" ></figure>Cara Ellis was 27 when she got health insurance — which she’d gone without most of her life — through an expansion of Medicaid that allowed more, low-income adults to enroll in the government plan.Now Ellis, 39, a Pikeville native and senior at Morehead State University, said she’s worried she could lose coverage under pending, major changes in Medicaid required by federal and state law.She credits Medicaid with saving her life after she was diagnosed in 2019 with thyroid cancer — four years after she qualified for health coverage.“I have a lifetime of care ahead of me,” Ellis said. “This is something I worry about every single day.”Significant changes enacted by Congress and the General Assembly are coming to Kentucky’s $22 billion-a-year Medicaid program that provides health coverage for 1.3 million people including more than 600,000 children — making it the state’s single largest health plan. The federal government provides about 75% of the funding.Kentucky officials worry that many beneficiaries don’t understand the changes or don’t realize they may have to follow new rules in an already complex program.“I think the unfortunate reality is that it will catch people off guard,” said Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which oversees Medicaid in Kentucky. “No matter how hard you try to communicate, it’s hard to reach everybody.”Key changes require most adults 19-64 to show they are working, in school or volunteering to keep coverage. And they will have to prove every six months they are eligible.The changes take effect Jan. 1, and will be phased in with people allowed to “attest,” or self-report compliance with new rules over the first year. But that changes in 2028.“Come Jan. 1, 2028, we are going to have to have all these systems operational and if people can’t demonstrate compliance, they unfortunately and very sadly are going to lose Medicaid benefits,” Stack said.At the national level, 5 to 10 million people could lose Medicaid coverage in 2028 because of the changes, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Many will be people who qualify because they already are working or in school but don’t provide adequate documentation or who don’t realize they are exempt for health or other reasons.In Kentucky, “tens of thousands” could lose coverage for similar reasons, Stack said.Still, Stack said the administration of Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, is working to notify as many people as possible to try to ensure they retain coverage.“It is a fact that people without health insurance live sicker and die younger,” Stack said.Most changes were included in federal HR 1 of 2025, dubbed by the Trump Administration as the One Big Beautiful Bill. It’s estimated to cut Medicaid spending by more than $900 billion over 10 years.The Republican-controlled Kentucky General Assembly enacted further changes to Medicaid through House Bill 2, including adding small-copays for some health services and tightening requirements for reporting work, school or volunteering.Most changes begin Jan. 1, 2027.Largely unaffected are the nearly 900,000 Kentuckians enrolled in “traditional” Medicaid — including low-income pregnant women, individuals below 100% of the federal poverty level, those with disabilities, and poor, elderly people in nursing homes.Most changes apply to those who gained Medicaid coverage through the 2014 expansion under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that allowed adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level — about $22,000 a year — to enroll.In Kentucky, that’s about 450,000 people ages 19-64 — though some will be exempt for medical or other reasons.That includes Ellis, who said she already meets requirements through working and attending college full-time. But she worries that one missed deadline or piece of misplaced paperwork could cost her health coverage — and says she’s not alone.“I think a lot of people are going to lose coverage,” Ellis said. “I think we’re going to see a lot of people across the state like me — who got health coverage for the first time — are going to lose coverage.”What are the changes?Changes include a requirement that individuals work, attend school or volunteer at least 80 hours a month and provide proof to the state. They also must “recertify,” or prove that they are eligible for Medicaid every six months instead of once a year.During the first year, starting January 2027, individuals will be allowed to “attest” or report to the state they meet requirements.But it gets more complicated in 2028 when individuals will be required to submit documents to verify employment, hours worked, income or other activities.Stack, the cabinet secretary, said the state will use available sources, such as tax filings or public university enrollment records, to try to collect as much information as possible.State officials anticipate many will begin to lose Medicaid at that point.“It will cause people to lose their coverage,” Stack said. “Not because they are ineligible … but because it’s a lot to keep up with.”Who’s exempt?The federal law cites a number of reasons individuals are exempt from the new rules including parents or caregivers of children under 14, pregnant women, foster youth or former foster youth up to age 26, those undergoing substance use treatment and disabled veterans.It also exempts people considered “medically frail” with health conditions that prevent them from working.For the first year, 2027, individuals will be able to attest that they can’t work, attend school or volunteer for health reasons.But starting in 2028, they must provide proof of a health condition that counts as “medically frail.”Stack said the state is working to come up with guidelines that define “medically frail” and how to verify it before 2028.For more informationThe Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, a state site that provides online information about changes coming to Medicaid as well as how to enroll or obtain other health coverage.Also, the state is offering a site dedicated to the new, Medicaid work requirements. Information is available through the local Department of Community Based Services office, with one in each of Kentucky’s 120 counties.</div></body>

Show less about: Donald Trump

Block Source: pmg-ky2.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Cara Ellis was 27 when she got health insurance — which she’d gone without most of her life — through an expansion of Medicaid that allowed more, low-income adults to enroll in the government plan. Now Ellis, 39, a Pikeville native and senior at Morehead State University,...

Medicaid changes likely to impact thousands in Kentucky

NewsBreak

Cara Ellis was 27 when she got health insurance — which she’d gone without most of her life — through an expansion of Medicaid that allowed more, low-incom

Medicaid changes likely to impact thousands in Kentucky

Comments / 3