Wolf Administration Promises Orderly Transition to Simple Medicaid Expansion in Pennsylvania
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf today announced how he will begin scrapping his predecessor's plan to provide private health insurance for low-income adults, opting instead for a simple expansion of Medicaid using the federal funds provided under Obamacare.
Last summer, then-governor Tom Corbett announced federal approval of his plan to use the Medicaid funds to provide private health insurance for hundreds of thousands of uninsured adults in Pennsylvania. Now, Gov. Wolf has announced plans to begin what he calls a transition to "simple" Medicaid expansion.
Wolf's spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, says there will be no interruption of coverage for those affected.
"Right now, the process has begun to close the private coverage option to any further enrollments," he explained. "The transition is expected to be completed in the fall, when all individuals remaining in the private coverage option will be transferred."
The Wolf administration says the change will eliminate "confusion and red tape" that resulted in people not receiving treatment and placing special populations in the wrong plans. An official says the administration is committed to an "orderly transition" to Medicaid coverage.
