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The Supreme Court recently upheld the Affordable Care Act with private insurance reforms. The Supreme Court also ruled that that ACA provisions on the possible expansion of Medicaid to every state was unconstitutional.
This means that not every American is eligible for Medicaid, depending on what state you reside in. The reason, according to the ruling, is that states are not obligated to provide low-income residents with Medicaid if other arrangements are made.
There are some states they choose to make these other arrangements instead of utilizing Medicaid. For example, in the 1970s Arizona didn’t select to use Medicaid for residents because many of the people in the poorer areas were covered by a health insurance called Indian Health Service. This is not applicable in the US today because with a more diverse population, there’s a lower percentage of people eligible for this type of insurance.
The American Dental Association isn’t pleased with the ruling because it feels this will impact some oral health policies. It will also reduce the amount of people eligible for dental care.
The Supreme Court ruling was based on the fact unwilling states shouldn’t be forced to sign up for a larger scale healthcare coverage if it makes other arrangements.
The ADA is exploring the appropriate course of action based on this legislation.
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