Representative Juan Ciscomani's (R-AZ) bipartisan Ensuring Access to Medicaid Buy-In Program Act passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously and will soon be on the House floor.
The bill, which Rep. Ciscomani introduced in late April, increases the Medicaid buy-in limit so that disabled adults are not forced to wait two years before their Social Security benefits are activated at 67 once their Medicaid coverage expires at age 65.
In other words, disabled adults who wish to keep working during that two-year gap are stuck without Medicaid coverage, and Rep. Ciscomani's bill remedies the problem by increasing the buy-in age for these individuals.
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"Working adults with disabilities should never have to choose between their paycheck or their benefits. By lifting the age limit for the Medicaid buy-in program, this bipartisan legislation expands eligibility and ensures that individuals with disabilities over the age of 65 can continue to work while maintaining vital Medicaid benefits they need. Proud to lead this effort with Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, and I am glad to see it pass out of the Energy and Commerce Committee," said Ciscomani in his press release.
Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) introduced the bill with the Arizona Congressman, which likely contributed to the unanimous support for its passage in the Energy and Commerce Committee.
"For people with disabilities who rely on home-based and long-term care through Medicaid Buy-In, an age cap for the program at 65 can present them with the difficult choice of either limiting their income to receive much-needed care through Medicaid or losing coverage by continuing to work and remain independent. With this bipartisan legislation to expand eligibility for Medicaid Buy-In beyond 65, we can help more folks across Southwest Washington stay in their communities and have the choice to keep working until their Social Security benefits kick in or longer," said Rep. Gluesenkamp-Perez.
The passage of Ciscomani's bill is the third legislative victory for Arizona Republicans in the past two weeks, with Representative Eli Crane's (R-AZ) Subterranean Border Defense Act passing the House and Representative David Schweikert's (R-AZ) bill to remove the excise tax from non-lethal weapons passing out of House Ways and Means.
