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Medicaid expansion enrollment soars; waiver hurdle remains

drsfor america.org

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — More than 600,000 low-income adults have signed up for Medicaid a year after Michigan expanded the insurance program under the federal health care law.
Now Governor Rick Snyder's administration is working to ensure the Healthy Michigan program continues.
Michigan law requires the state to get a second waiver from the Obama administration by year's end or the Medicaid expansion will end next April. Under the waiver, adults who have been enrolled for four years would have to buy private insurance through a health exchange or pay more toward their care.
It's unclear if federal officials will be receptive because they had concerns two years ago.
The number of uninsured adults in Michigan dropped in half to 7 percent between 2012 and 2014, largely due to expanding Medicaid.

Hans Ahlström is the host of several programs including the daily musical variety show Weekday, the mostly straight ahead jazz show Night Studio, the self explanatory Blues Today, and the eclectic Sound Spectrum. You can also hear Hans as the local host of NPR's All Things Considered news magazine. He also helps manage Public Radio 90's web content, interviews local and visiting writers and artists, works with NMU student interns, and writes the occasional news story.