Deborah Bachrach Talks to Law360 About Postelection ACA Regulation Rollout
"Obama Win to Unleash Onslaught of ACA Regulations"
Law360
November 6, 2012 - Manatt's Deborah Bachrach, a special counsel in the firm's Healthcare Division, spoke to Law360 about the Affordable Care Act regulations that are likely to transpire in the wake of President Obama's reelection.
Law360 reports that even though state governors and Medicaid directors have been asking questions regarding expansion and regulations on the ACA for months, the Obama administration had remained mum leading up to the presidential election. Law360 predicts that a resurgence on implementing the ACA will occur now that Obama has been reelected, with the next step being cost control.
Experts anticipate many more questions to soon be answered. One of Medicaid's most urgent questions is whether states can extend coverage to less than 138 percent of the poverty line and still get the 100 percent federal match.
In the wake of the November 6 elections, many states are waiting to see if they should move forward with executing this process.
"Once the politics clear, most states will conclude that expanding Medicaid to 138 percent of the poverty line is a good move," said Bachrach.
Lawmakers have the ability to consider major deficit reduction during its lame-duck session which brings more uncertainty regarding the system; however, Obama's win brings more assurance that this will move forward.
"Medicare and Medicaid are always on the table for deficit reduction," Bachrach said. "The question has always been, 'How do you constrain spending growth without undermining coverage goals?' "
Read the article here.