Neb Scraps Planned 2-Tier Medicaid Expansion Plan

       Nebraska is dropping plans for a 2-tier system for the Medicaid expansion approved by voters in 2018 and instead all Nebraskans covered it will get a full range of benefits starting Oct. 1. 

        Gov. Pete Ricketts had pushed for a two-tier system of a “basic” plan covering physical and behavioral health care services and a “prime” plan also covering dental, vision and over-the-counter drugs. 

        The Trump administration approved Ricketts’ 2-tier plan last year, prompting a lawsuit by the advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed, but President Joe Biden’s administration made clear early this year that it would not approve the system.