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State reaches agreement with feds to allow Medicaid to pay for more services

December 28th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Those leaving prison and jail in Maryland will be presumed eligible to sign up for Medicaid, the government-run health program for the poor, as part of a five-year agreement with federal authorities announced Tuesday.

Those leaving the corrections system are known to have higher rates of infectious and chronic diseases but often face hurdles securing Medicaid coverage for a number of reasons, including because some lack proper identification.

The change is one of several made under the state's new agreement with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which waives certain rules to allow reimbursements that are not normally permitted under the program. It takes effect Jan. 1, though state officials said it's unclear whether the incoming Trump administration will seek to undo the agreement.

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