With all the misinformation on the Internet and the News relating to the Affordable Health Care Act, this series has been provided to give you the strait scoop without all the partisan smoke and mirrors. The recent Supreme Court ruling on the Medicaid Expansion is very important to all in Medical Billing because this new law has a direct impact on your business.
The Supreme Court considered all arguments and determined that the portion of the Act in question could be considered separate from the remainder of the Bill. Hence, their ruling is important.
In short, the Court decided that this part of the Act was unconstitutional because it compelled the States to either accept the expansion of Medicaid or lose ALL funding for the program. However, the Court did not entirely shoot down the provision and this is good news for some in Medical Billing. Why?
Because the Court said that although the States cannot be compelled, or coerced into accepting this portion of the law, this provision can still be used if any State wishes to expand coverage to their citizens.
Hence, whereas it stands to reason that States such as Florida and Louisiana, who were in part responsible for the lawsuit will not likely expand coverage, other States may if they choose.
The Supreme Court stated that, “In light of the expansion in coverage mandated by the Act, the Federal Government estimates that its Medicaid spending will increase by approximately $100 billion per year, nearly 40 percent above current levels.” Thus, in States where the expansion is adopted, Medical Billing personnel and physicians can expect increased revenues.
As of this writing, the States that will adopt the expanded coverage are not known, but we will keep you informed as this information becomes available.
For now, all Medical Billing professionals need to know is that current coverage of Medicaid is unaffected. All other provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act remain.
Hence, our next installment in this series will begin a detailed analysis of the Act beginning with Title I.