title: The ACA Medicaid Expansion Waiver in the Keystone State: Do the Medically Uninsured "Got a Friend in Pennsylvania"?
abstract: Medicaid is fundamental to near universal health insurance coverage under the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA). Its goal of broadening the program to all households with income at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level was thwarted in 2012 by a Supreme Court decision that allowed the states to choose whether or not they would join. This essay seeks to assess the status of Pennsylvania with regard to the Medicaid expansion controversy. It briefly describes the Keystone State's existing Medicaid program and the potential impact of the ACA on its growth. It then discusses Governor Tom Corbett's market-based alternative and what he achieved in his deliberations with the Obama administration. The article also discusses some of the financial considerations facing Pennsylvania policy makers in the expansion decision, the role of three of the more influential lobby groups, and the problematic situation of the medically uninsured population.
authors.affiliation: Lehigh University.
authors.forename: Laura Katz
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Olson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D057766:Policy; D011057:Politics; D013219:State Government; D035521:Supreme Court Decisions; D014481:United States
keywords: Medicaid expansion; Pennsylvania state government; health care reform; health care waivers