Kentucky's poorest people will have to pay for doctor visits in 2019 [View all]

For John Howard, 22, staying healthy is part of his plan to lift himself out of homelessness by completing a local recovery program and finding a job.

Thursday, he was able to see a doctor to check on some health problems at the Family Health Centers' Phoenix Health Care Clinic for the Homeless in Louisville, a visit paid for by his Medicaid coverage.

But starting Jan. 1, the state will require Howard and many other impoverished people across Kentucky who get health care through Medicaid to pay a $3 copay for most doctor's visits, as well as copays for services such as dental care and prescription drugs. That alarms Howard who has no income and lives at Wayside Christian Mission, a shelter.

"Right now, I'm living dollar to dollar, " he said. "What if I get sick while I'm homeless? How do I pay for it?"

Read more: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/28/kentucky-matt-bevin-charge-medicaid-copays-starting-jan-1/2408116002/