States and Medicaid Costs

Posted on June 1, 2010 by townsend

• Reports cheer reform for uninsured Texans, By Cindy George, May 31, 2010, Houston Chronicle: “Two new reports herald the federal health system overhaul as a bargain for Texas, but one government agency warns the state could be left with a bigger bill than predicted. As many as 2 million currently uninsured Texans would gain Medicaid coverage largely at the federal government’s expense, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation interpretation. A Families USA analysis released Thursday declared that the overhaul will prevent insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to nearly 4.3 million non-elderly Texans with diagnosed pre-existing health conditions…”
• Virginia leaders grapple with mushrooming Medicaid costs, By Julian Walker, June 1, 2010, Virginian-Pilot: “More than 750,000 low-income Virginians depend on it to stay healthy. It costs more than the state’s college system and prisons. And signs are that Virginia’s Medicaid program is only going to grow even more, thanks to the federal health care overhaul and other trends. Republicans, Democrats and health care industry leaders all agree that paying for the growth in Medicaid is a challenge. Over the years, Medicaid spending has markedly increased in Virginia. It was about 5 percent of the state general fund budget in 1985. Soon it will be nearly 20 percent, or about $3 billion, second only to public education spending…”
• R.I. lawmakers gambling budget on getting federal aid restored, By Steve Peoples, May 29, 2010, Providence Journal: “Rhode Island’s General Assembly is poised to approve a $7.8-billion budget package next week that avoids sales or income tax increases and saves arts and social welfare programs. But to do so, the legislature is depending on $100 million in federal aid that currently does not exist. The U.S. House of Representatives, wary of adding to the federal deficit with mid-term elections in sight, approved a jobs bill Friday that excludes a $24-billion Medicaid package for states. Rhode Island’s cut – $100 million – and funding for every other state may be lost. And less than 24 hours after a legislative panel endorsed a spending package that relies on the federal funding, state lawmakers have already begun lobbying the state’s congressional delegation to resurrect the federal aid…”