- Brewer opts to expand Medicaid to more Arizonans, By Rebekah L. Sanders and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, January 14, 2013, Arizona Republic: “Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer took advantage of her annual State of the State speech to deliver big news: that she plans to agree to a large expansion of the state’s Medicaid program as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The Republican governor’s decision, long awaited by lawmakers and health-care professionals and opposed by many in the GOP, would bring the state an additional $7.9 billion in federal funds over four years to restore and expand the state’s health-care insurance program to an estimated 300,000 low-income residents, according to the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association…”
- Ohio’s Medicaid expansion may cost less than previously predicted and offer some revenue, new report says, By Sarah Jane Tribble, January 15, 2013, Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Ohio’s state budget could benefit from expanding Medicaid, according to a new non-partisan report released Tuesday morning. In addition, the cost of providing care to those who are newly eligible is not nearly as much as what state officials once predicted, according to the report, which was posted this morning by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio and done in conjunction with the Urban Institute and The Ohio State University. The cost of expanding Medicaid will be $13 million in 2014, and rise to $609 million in 2022 when the federal government picks up less of the cost, the report states. In addition, Ohio could save $709 million on what the report calls ‘spend-down’ adults, or those who often qualify for Medicaid after they have incurred high medical bills that drain household finances…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty