Americans struggle with Medicaid 'coverage gap'

When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, it was intended to expand Medicaid coverage to "nearly all low-income adults." However, a Supreme Court ruling two years later gave states the option to forego the expansion. It is estimated that this year approximately five million adults living in 25 states will be uninsured and at risk of falling into a "coverage gap."

The "gap" is created when individuals living in states that have declined expansion earn too much for existing Medicaid eligibility but below state-mandated poverty levels, which would qualify them for subsidies they could presumably use on coverage.