Chart shows impact of Medicaid expansion or rejection

A one-stop graphic that spells out what’s in store for states that don’t elect to expand Medicaid is the subject of a report by The Washington Post‘s Sarah Kliff.

The charts show governors who elect not to expand the insurance program for the poor and disabled will leave their poorest citizens without coverage.

One segment of the chart uses Arkansas as an example of what would happen if expansion is rejected. Because Medicaid eligibility varies by state, the picture will be considerably different for Kentucky, since families in this state are eligible for Medicaid up to about 60 percent of the poverty line compared to Arkansas’s 17 percent, as indicated by the bottom segment of the chart.

The chart shows that if Kentucky were to reject expansion, people with incomes from the poverty line down to 60 percent of the line would not be eligible for any government coverage or assistance.

For a larger version of the chart and a clear look at a complicated subject, click here.