Michigan expands Medicaid with unique requirements

Michigan has voted to expand its Medicaid program under the healthcare reform law. Under its proposal, Michigan will obtain up to $1.7 billion in federal funding next year to expand Medicaid eligibility to about 470,000 low-income residents, reported Michigan Live. Michigan's Medicaid expansion also includes several reforms to appeal to the state's conservative lawmakers, including co-pays and income-based premiums that could be reduced by, for example, losing weight or quitting smoking. And when recipients spend four years on Medicaid, they would have to pay higher rates or buy private insurance though a health insurance exchange. "This is not Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act," Sen. Roger Kahn (R), who chaired a workgroup that updated the bill this summer, said before the vote Tuesday night. "This is our bipartisan bill that will reform the cost of Medicaid throughout the state and become a model in the country." Because of these unique reforms, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services must approve the proposal before state lawmakers can implement it. Article