CRA report examines implications of new Medicaid initiative in rural areas

Today, the Center for Rural Affairs released a new issue brief entitled, New Medicaid Initiative Eligible Households.
The analysis examines the number of households in rural Legislative districts that would likely be eligible for Medicaid coverage if LB 577, the bill currently before the Unicameral that would implement the new Medicaid initiative, becomes law.
“These figures demonstrate the importance of Medicaid and LB 577 to rural Nebraska,” said Jon Bailey, Director of Rural Research and Analysis at the Center for Rural Affairs and author of the report.
“In general, these rural Legislative districts have the lowest rates of health insurance coverage in the state,” he said. “LB 577 has the opportunity to provide health insurance and access to a wider range of necessary health care to tens of thousands of rural households in Nebraska.”
According to Bailey, it is difficult from this data to determine the current health insurance coverage status of these households, but many of the adults are likely uninsured because their household income does not allow for them to afford health insurance and many likely are employed by firms that do not provide health insurance benefits.
LB 577 would expand Medicaid eligibility to working adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
A full copy of the report, including a tabulation of district by district data, can be viewed and downloaded at: http://files.cfra.org/pdf/LB577-New-Medicaid-Initiative-Eligible-Households.pdf
The report finds that more than 49,000 households with residents under 65 in these rural legislative districts would qualify for LB 577’s new Medicaid initiative.

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