By: R. Terry Bennett

The Affordable Care Act, more widely known as Obamacare, has created quite a buzz in recent months as open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace got underway. The health care landscape continues to change as Medicaid income eligibility across the country was revised in January. Last week, we talked about the importance of Medicaid planning. This week, the attorneys at Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson and Pike want to ensure you understand how Obamacare affects Kentuckians. Here are some brief points we feel you need to know:

• Medicaid and CHIP eligibility has expanded. Under the expansion, adults with a family income below 133 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for Medicaid. In the past, non-disabled adults without dependent children were not eligible without a waiver. This only applies to receiving medical insurance under the Affordable Care Act. State reports show more than 210,000 Kentuckians have qualified for Medicaid coverage under the expansion.

• Medicaid programs for the aged, blind and disabled; home and community based services; and nursing home eligibility have not changed. In Kentucky, only 2 percent of all Medicaid recipients are nursing home residents. The other 98 percent, which amounts to 760,000 people, fall within Medicaid programs other than nursing home care.

• Under the new plan, the federal government will pay 100 percent of the costs of expansion for the first three years. The state will begin paying a portion of the costs in 2017. Kentucky’s share will be capped at 10 percent in 2020. In the past, Kentucky paid 30 cents of every dollar spent on Medicaid.

The attorneys at Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson and Pike encourage you to stay informed on Obamacare. Don’t hesitate to get legal advice when it comes to the Affordable Care Act and how it may affect your family or business.

Terry joined the practice in 1974. His areas of focus include personal injury law, real estate law, probate law, estate planning, business law, corporations, and adoptions. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, United States District Court Western District of Kentucky, United States Court of Military Appeals, and all Kentucky courts.

A Hardin County native and former Army office in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, Terry graduated from William and Mary in Virginia with an undergraduate degree in government. He received his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest Law School in Winston Salem, North Carolina, where he graduated with honors.