Feds push simplified Medicaid enrollment

Earlier this month the Obama administration informed states that they could simplify enrollment in Medicaid to handle the anticipated increase in enrollees next year (Source: "Feds Make It Easier For States To Enroll Poor Under Health Law,” Kaiser Health News, May 18, 2013).

In a letter to state officials, federal Medicaid Director Cindy Mann laid out several ways states might streamline enrollment for adults, including using data people have already submitted to qualify for foods stamps – a practice that a few states permit for children. 

States may also allow adults to stay enrolled in the program for up to a year, even if their income changes, the letter said.

In Ohio, the Governor’s Office of Health Transformation has “initiated an eligibility modernization project to simplify client eligibility based on income, streamline state and local responsibility for eligibility determination, and modernize eligibility systems technology,” according to the OHT's website.