Debate: Should Medicaid Expand Home-Based Health Care Coverage?

Robert S. Bloink (pro) and William H. Byrnes (con)

Many states have now expanded their home-based and community-based services for Medicaid recipients. Still, many others have been reluctant to expand these state-level Medicaid home-based health care services.

Critics of expanding Medicaid home-based health care services argue that expanding these programs will encourage more individuals to enroll in Medicaid for long-term care coverage, which would expand the overall costs of administering Medicaid programs in these states.

We asked two professors and authors of ALM’s Tax Facts with opposing political viewpoints to share their opinions about how expanding Medicaid’s funding for home-based care services might affect Medicaid costs for states generally.

A summary of the debate that ensued between the two professors is published here in Think Advisor.