Health law coverage expansion will help ex-felons

Stateline reports that the health law's Medicaid expansion will make many newly released prison inmates eligible for coverage. Also in the news, reports on the latest Medicaid expansion developments in Texas, Florida and Iowa.

Stateline: Ex-Felons Are About To Get Health Coverage
Newly freed prisoners traditionally walk away from the penitentiary with a bus ticket and a few dollars in their pockets. Starting in January, many of the 650,000 inmates released from prison each year will be eligible for something else: health care by way of Medicaid, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. A sizeable portion of the nearly 5 million ex-offenders who are on parole or probation at any given time will also be covered (Ollove, 4/5).

The Texas Tribune: A Familiar Reluctance To Health Care Expansion In Texas
The wrangling over whether and how to expand Medicaid in Texas rings a bell. Proponents are emphasizing what it might do for the state's gigantic uninsured population. Opponents stress the dangers of a new federal entitlement program. A governor who might or might not have future political plans in mind is opposed (Ramsey, 4/5).

The Texas Tribune: House Backtracks On Medicaid Amendment
Hours after approving the measure, the Texas House backpedaled on an amendment to the 2013-14 budget that would have opened the door to negotiations on expanding Medicaid, a key provision of federal health care reform (Aaronson, 4/4).

Health News Florida: Making Sense Of Medicaid Expansion
One million of the lowest-income adults in Florida may get health coverage on Jan. 1 as part of the Affordable Care Act, paid for mostly with federal funds. Or maybe not. It all depends on what the Florida Legislature decides in the coming four weeks (Gentry, 4/4).

The Associated Press: More Details Released On Iowa Health Proposal
More details were released on Gov. Terry Branstad's health care proposal for low-income residents Thursday when the legislation for the plan was introduced in the Iowa House. Branstad's Healthy Iowa plan would cover an estimated 89,000 residents with incomes below the poverty line (Lucey, 4/4).