The first of two public hearings seeking input on Governor Bevin’s Medicaid waiver was held Friday in Somerset.
Governor Bevin wants to overhaul the Medicaid program, in hopes of moving more people to private insurance coverage. Bevin said Kentucky can’t afford to pay for everyone that gained coverage when Medicaid was expanded.
The new plan calls for Medicaid recipients to pay premiums of up to $15 a month. Beneficiaries would be required to work or volunteer for 20 hours a week in order to keep their benefits. Those requirements don’t apply to everyone.
People who don’t notify the state when they get a new job and check their Medicaid eligibility could lose coverage for up to six months. The new changes could cost 9,000 people their health care coverage, and possibly save taxpayers $27 million.
The first hearing took place in Somerset at the Center for Rural Development. The second hearing is Monday at the State Capitol Annex Building in Frankfort at 10 a.m.
