SPRINGFIELD - Few political topics are more confusing than Obamacare - how it is administered, what difference it made to the average taxpayers' health care and who pays how much for what.
The U.S. Supreme Court is about to come to a major decision about the Affordable Care Act's state exchanges - and which way their decision falls could create a tidal wave of change yet once again.
A brief overview about Illinois:
Illinois is a state-partnership marketplace that has adopted the Medicaid expansion.
According to the Kaiser Foundation, a "state-partnership marketplace" means states entering into a Partnership Marketplace may administer in-person consumer assistance functions and HHS will perform the remaining Marketplace functions. Consumers in states with a Partnership Marketplace apply for and enroll in coverage through the federal healthcare.gov website.
A central goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to significantly reduce the number of uninsured by providing a continuum of affordable coverage options through Medicaid and the Health Insurance Marketplaces. The ACA expands Medicaid coverage for most low-income adults to 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL).
Following the June 2012 Supreme Court decision, states face a decision about whether to adopt the Medicaid expansion. It is important to note that there is no deadline for states to implement the Medicaid expansion.
Illinois has accepted the Medicaid expansion.
