In 2006, over 97,000 individuals were enrolled in 32 state Medicaid Buy-In programs, so named because workers with disabilities “buy into” Medicaid coverage with monthly premiums. An article in the Journal of Disability Policy Studies examines the success of the states in accomplishing the program’s dual objectives of expanding Medicaid coverage to vulnerable populations and promoting employment of working-age adults with disabilities.
The article finds that some states appear to have accomplished both objectives of the program, whereas other states have emphasized one over the other. In addition, certain program features, such as higher earned-income limits, contribute to both larger percentages of Buy-In participants who are employed and higher earnings of employed participants.
