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Some disabled people want to advance their careers. They say Medicaid rules stop them
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- Erica Carter, a finance manager for the Omaha Nation school district and a person with a disability, lost her Iowa Medicaid buy-in coverage after earning $110,000, exceeding the state's income limit of $36,450 for disabled workers.
- Iowa's Medicaid buy-in program restricts income and asset limits, forcing many disabled workers like Carter to choose between higher earnings and maintaining essential Medicaid benefits.
- Disability advocates argue that these limits hinder disabled individuals' ability to work, save, and live independently, and have pushed for reforms to remove or raise these caps, with some states like Massachusetts and Minnesota already eliminating such restrictions.
- Despite bipartisan support and legislative efforts in Iowa to raise income and asset limits, proposed changes have stalled amid concerns about Medicaid spending and budget constraints.
- Carter now pays approximately $35,000 annually out-of-pocket for medical expenses previously covered by Medicaid and continues to work multiple jobs to afford her care, highlighting the financial challenges faced by disabled workers under current Medicaid policies.
