- GOP governors’ endorsements of Medicaid expansion deepen rifts within party, By Sandhya Somashekhar, June 2, 2013, Washington Post: “Republican fissures over the expansion of Medicaid, a critical piece of the 2010 health-care law designed to provide coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, continue to deepen, with battles in Arizona and elsewhere showing just how bitter the divisions have become. Despite expressing distaste for the new law, some GOP governors have endorsed an expansion of Medicaid, and three — Jan Brewer of Arizona, John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Snyder of Michigan — are trying to persuade their Republican-controlled legislatures to go along…”
- States may lose $8.4 billion in U.S. funds by rejecting Medicaid, By Alex Wayne, June 4, 2013, Businessweek: “Texas, Louisiana and 12 other U.S. states that are declining to expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s health overhaul will lose at least $8.4 billion in federal funding in 2016 alone, a study found. About 3.6 million people who would have been eligible for Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act will be left without health insurance, costing the 14 states an additional $1 billion in uncompensated care, according to research from the Rand Corp. published in the journal Health Affairs. States ‘would do best to expand Medicaid,’ the researchers said…”
- Rand adds to argument to expand Medicaid in Pennsylvania, By David Wenner, June 3, 2013, Patriot-News: “An independent organization on Monday attempted to strengthen the argument that Pennsylvania will suffer financially if it doesn’t expand Medicaid as called for in the Affordable Care Act. The new Rand Corp. study is the latest salvo in the war of data over whether expanding Medicaid would be good for Pennsylvania. It focuses on Pennsylvania and 13 other states that have either refused or expressed major reluctance regarding expanding Medicaid…”
- NC decision against Medicaid expansion could be costly, By Jennifer Thomas, June 3, 2013, Charlotte Business Journal: “North Carolina should expect increased costs after deciding not to expand Medicaid as part of federal health-care reform, according to a new study by the RAND Corp. That nonprofit research organization looked at 14 states — including North Carolina — that decided against expanding Medicaid in their states. It found that opting out of expansion will leave millions without health insurance…”
- LePage: I won’t approve Medicaid expansion until current waiting list is addressed, By Matthew Stone, June 3, 2013, Bangor Daily News: “Gov. Paul LePage drew a new line in the sand on expanding the state’s Medicaid program Monday, hours after Democrats in the Maine House moved ahead with their second attempt to expand the low-income health insurance program. The House voted 89-51 Monday morning to support an expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act. The vote, however, fell short of the two-thirds threshold necessary to override a near certain LePage veto…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty