A bill to cut eligibility for Arizona’s Medicaid program is advancing through the state Legislature.
The Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, known as AHCCCS, provides coverage for more than 2 million lower-income or disabled people. AHCCCS is jointly funded by the state and federal government. But some in Congress have proposed slashing those federal funds.
House Bill 2926 says the state would eliminate coverage for some adults under 65 if that federal funding falls below the 90% match rate that the state receives now. Rep. David Livingston said that’s a real possibility.
“Nintey-nine percent of this bill is what D.C. was working on last week. It’s coming. What I’m trying to do is help prepare this state for the next three years,” Livingston said.
Rep. Michael Carbone, the bill’s sponsor, said the bill is meant to refocus the Medicaid program on Arizonans who need it most.
“Those are seniors, children, the disabled, and pregnant women,” Carbone said. “The expansion now covers able-bodied adults earning over $20,000 a year with no accountability.”
Opponents argue the bill would leave about 66,000 Arizonans uninsured, including hundreds of adults with serious mental illnesses and thousands of cancer patients.
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