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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will not apply for a Medicaid block grant proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration that would include a limit on how much the federal government contributes, Gov. Tom Wolf said.
In a statement, Wolf and his human services secretary, Teresa Miller, said Thursday’s Trump administration proposal could lead to cuts in Pennsylvania’s Medicaid enrollment or increase its costs, and force states to restrict the number of people and services they cover.
In exchange for operating under a fixed federal allocation, states, among other things, would be able to limit what prescription drugs and benefits will be covered under the federal-state program, within certain guidelines.
Its scope would be restricted to coverage for so-called “able-bodied” adults under 65. A state could not put nursing home residents, disabled people, or very low-income pregnant women and children into the new plan.
Democratic lawmakers suggested Trump doesn’t have the legal authority to make states such an offer.
Former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law gave states the option of expanding Medicaid to cover millions more able-bodied adults, and 37 have done so, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 4 state in Medicaid spending at $30 billion in fiscal year 2018, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.