LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Rick Snyder wants to increase the number of Michigan residents who qualify for Medicaid.
The proposal is part of the governor’s budget plan for fiscal year 2014.
If passed, the new budget would allow Medicaid coverage for citizens whose income is up to 133 percent of the federal poverty limit. That means 320,000 state residents would be covered in the first year and more than 470,000 by 2021, said a release from the governor’s office. “Expansion will create more access to primary care providers, reduce the burden on hospitals and small businesses, and save precious tax dollars,” the governor said in the announcement.
Snyder said the plan would actually lead to savings, because fewer people would use hospital emergency rooms for routine medical care.
The Medicare expansion helps Michigan conform with requirements in the Affordable Care Act but “puts Michigan rather than Washington in the driver’s seat in terms of implementation,” the governor said.
Gov. Snyder plans to present the budget at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
