Excerpt
SUMMARY: Medicaid is thought of as free health insurance for the poor, but federal law requires that recipients pay for the costs of long-term care. And when patients die, Medicaid charges the expenses to the leftover assets in their estates, sometimes passing the burden on to heirs. Special correspondent Sally Schilling reports on how California is debating the rule.
GWEN IFILL (NewsHour): Our next story is about Medicaid. The government health insurance program recently expanded to millions of Americans. Although often considered free health insurance for the poor, federal law requires Medicaid to charge recipients for certain services, and they are sometimes billed after they die. Medicaid then charges the expenses to their leftover assets. It’s called estate recovery, and it’s making many people think twice.
Sally Schilling, a student at the University of California Berkeley Journalism School, brings us the story.
SALLY SCHILLING, UC Berkeley: The rollout of the Affordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid brought hope to people like Ruth and Rod Morgan, who had gone without health insurance for 10 years.
RUTH MORGAN: When I heard about the Affordable Care Act, we were very excited. We were finally going to have health coverage.
SALLY SCHILLING: The Morgans live in Stockton, California. They are in their early 60s and are retired, aside from Rod’s occasional construction jobs.
RUTH MORGAN: We were pretty much forced into retirement because of the economic downturn. There just wasn’t any work.
ROD MORGAN: And, I mean, we don’t have much. But I would love to give our kids something. I would like to leave them a little something when we’re gone.
SALLY SCHILLING: In states that have opted to expand Medicaid, like California, anyone making $16,000 or less per year now qualifies for Medicaid. But the Morgans were hesitant to sign up for California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. They had heard that Medi-Cal would bill their estate after they die.
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