Monterey, CA 17 Million More American's May Become Eligible For Medi-Cal and Medicare

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The U. S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month on the legality of President Obama's health care reform law (the Affordable Care Act) which will dramatically expand the number of people eligible for Medi-Cal and Medicaid across the country.  Republicans are fighting ACA on a number of issues, and the Medi-Cal/Medicaid issue remains a hot potato because of the financial burden it will put on the U.S. treasury.  Currently, the federal government gives poor states 70% of their budget for Medicaid.  States that are better off financially get 50% of the program funded.  If ACA is implemented, 17 million of our nation's poorest will be eligible to enroll in Medi-Cal and Medicaid, and the federal government will bear the full cost of this for the first three years (2014-2016) and this will gradually decline to 90% by 2020.  It's a great deal for the states, for sure.  But with the federal government strapped for cash, many Republicans are wondering where the money to fund this ambitious health care program will come from.  Some states are worried that even paying 10% for this huge influx of new beneficiaries will be a big financial burden.  26 states have filed suit against the government, claiming that it's illegal to force these additional costs on them.  Stay tuned, there should be news coming out of Washington D.C. on this issue shortly.