States and Medicaid Expansion

Posted on February 13, 2013 by townsend

• Health law’s Medicaid expansion moves forward, but with many questions, By Tony Pugh, February 12, 2013, Sacramento Bee: “In the largest one-year enrollment bump in program history, 8 million Americans are expected to gain health insurance in 2014 through Medicaid under the nation’s massive health care overhaul. The Medicaid expansion is a signature provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and will mark a symbolic turning point in the controversial public and private effort to provide health insurance for all Americans. Yet questions about the cost of the expansion, whether states will cooperate and a potential shortage of care providers has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the move as the nation’s rapidly evolving health care system readies for this rare jolt of newly insured patients – and whatever surprises come with them…”
• Medicaid decision awaited from 12 GOP governors, By Kelly Kennedy, February 13, 2013, USA Today: “Twelve Republican governors considering expanding their states’ Medicaid programs are being lobbied by hospital companies seeking extra revenue and weighing financial benefits that economists and health care experts say are too good to ignore. The six Republican governors have said they would participate in the expansion of the federal-state health care program for low-income residents are from Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio and Nevada. An additional 11 Republican governors have declined to participate, and 12 others have not announced a decision…”
• Walker rejects Medicaid expansion, proposes alternate plan to cover uninsured, By Mary Spicuzza, February 13, 2013, Wisconsin State Journal: “Republican Gov. Scott Walker announced Wednesday that he is rejecting the federal Medicaid expansion. But he said he would work to expand coverage for Wisconsinites with a alternate plan relying on private health care exchanges. Walker said his plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 224,580 people, but said he would do so by moving people into private exchanges rather than Medicaid…”
• Walker rejects full Medicaid expansion, says 224,000 more to be covered, By Jason Stein, February 13, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The state would turn down a full expansion of the BadgerCare program under the federal health care law but 224,600 more state residents would still gain coverage through state and federal efforts, under a proposal unveiled by Gov. Scott Walker Wednesday…”
• Colorado survey shows expanding Medicaid saves money,  By Kelly Kennedy, February 13, 2013, USA Today: “Colorado economists say it would cost their taxpayers nothing to expand the state’s Medicaid program through President Obama’s health law — and it would likely bring in $128 million in local tax revenue…”
• Study: Expanding Medicaid would infuse $3.4B into economy, By Chris Sikich, February 11, 2013, Indianapolis Star: “Expanding Indiana’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act would create up to $3.4 billion in economic activity, according to a report released today by the University of Nebraska Medical Center for Public Health…”
• Medicaid expansion profitable for state?, By Tom LoBianco (AP), February 13, 2013, South Bend Tribune: “A study released Monday by the Indiana Hospital Association estimates that expanding Medicaid would generate billions of dollars in economic growth for the state, a stark contrast from the budget-busting projections cited by former Gov. Mitch Daniels. The hospital association’s study estimates that using the federal expansion to cover an additional 406,000 residents would cost Indiana $503 million but pump several times that amount back into the economy over the next seven years. An actuary hired by former Gov. Daniels’ administration found the expansion would cost a budget-busting $2.6 billion over the same time frame…”