NY Governor Cuomo announced yesterday that more than 37K New Yorkers have signed up for Obamacare.
However, of those 37,030 new enrollees, 23,717 hopped onto the Medicaid rolls. Only 13,313 bought insurance from private companies.
The uptick in Medicaid enrollment comes from a raise in the income restrictions to get into the program. The federal government raised that limit to $23,550 for a family of four from the lower rate of $18,330.
“The early signs are not good. It’s the taxpayers picking up the tab for Medicaid,” said Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), a member of the state Senate Health Committee. “If more young people don’t enroll in the program, ObamaCare is going to implode.”
The government will pay 100% of the cost of new Medicaid enrollees for the first three years, dropping down to 90% by 2020.