HHS on Thursday approved a waiver to expand Medicaid coverage to pregnant women and children in Flint, Michigan, where the drinking water is contaminated with lead, The Hill reports (Ferris, The Hill, 3/3).
Background
According to the Washington Post's "To Your Health," Flint residents were exposed to lead poisoning after the city switched its water supply to Flint River in April 2014. At the time, city officials failed to add anti-corrosion chemicals to the water, allowing lead to seep into the water from old plumbing systems. Many city residents currently drink only bottled water (Bernstein, "To Your Health," Washington Post, 3/3).
Last month, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) asked the federal government to approve a waiver to expand the Medicaid coverage for certain populations affected by the contamination (The Hill, 3/3).
Expansion details
The five-year waiver will extend coverage to about 15,000 pregnant women and children under age 21 who used Flint's water between April 2014 and a date Snyder has yet to specify ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 3/3).
The coverage is available to children and pregnant women with household incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level. The federal government will fund 99 percent of the expansion costs for children and 65 percent of the costs for pregnant women. The state will pay the remainder (Goodnough, New York Times, 3/3). Under the waiver, individuals with higher incomes can purchase coverage in a state program that will provide the same health care services ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 3/3).
In addition, the waiver will make about 30,000 current Medicaid beneficiaries eligible for expanded services (New York Times, 3/3). According to HHS, the additional services include no-cost behavioral health treatment and monitoring for the levels of lead in their blood ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 3/3).
Comments
HHS in a statement said, "It is a top priority for the administration and for the department to ensure that all children and pregnant women exposed to lead in their water in Flint have access to the services they need" (The Hill, 3/3).
Snyder said, "Providing important health resources to Flint residents will help us better mitigate the risks of lead exposure and identify long-term health challenges."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) praised the announcement, calling it "a very significant step forward to ensure thousands of innocent children and pregnant [women] have the comprehensive health and nutrition services they need to address the serious lead-exposure issues they may face" ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 3/3).
