USICH Blog
Accessing Mainstream Benefits Archive
09/10/2012 - Medicaid: Ensuring Full Expansion & Assertive Outreach in all States
Starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act allows states to expand Medicaid to most people earning at or below 133% of the federal poverty
level (FPL), which is about $14,856 a year for an individual and $25,390 for a family of three in 2012. (To their credit, some states have gone ahead and expanded early.) This provision helps unify the current “categories” of Medicaid, where very low income children, pregnant women, adults who can prove a permanent disability, and parents in some states are eligible for Medicaid, but those without a proven disability or dependent children are not—creating a significant disparity in access to care among those at the lowest income levels. A recent Urban Institute analysis found 15 million uninsured adults will now be eligible for Medicaid, which would allow them access to the health care services needed in order to treat and manage chronic illnesses, prevent new health conditions from developing, and protect against financial ruin due to inability to pay medical bills.
07/26/2012 - The Affordable Care Act and Homelessness
When USICH released Opening Doors in June 2010, the Affordable Care Act had passed in March, just three months earlier. The second anniversary of Opening 
Doors occurred the same time that the Supreme Court delivered its ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since the law was largely upheld, many of the provisions that will help us prevent and end homelessness are still in place. The provision giving states greater choice around Medicaid expansion, however, means that some of the original promise of the ACA in the fight against homelessness will be, in some parts of the country, up in the air, at least for a while.
Remaining provisions of the law that will prove helpful for populations experiencing homelessness are the expansion of affordable insurance coverage through state health insurance exchanges and the expansion of community health centers. Better access to affordable insurance that covers people with pre-existing conditions and does not limit coverage when you get sick can act as homelessness prevention for many.
