Republican Gubernatorial Victories Make Medicaid Expansion Unlikely In 5 States
Advocates hope Republican governors in other states will move to expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
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Advocates hope Republican governors in other states will move to expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, opposes the program’s expansion and signed a law giving final say to the Republican-controlled Legislature. But Democratic challenger Jason Carter, a state senator, says that if he were elected governor, he would seek a “creative solution� with state lawmakers.
The community saw its Medicaid enrollment nearly double under the health law, and many new enrollees are experiencing long waits for care.
Rates of hospitalization for the “highest pent-up demand� group also started high and dropped by almost 80 percent over the two-year period.
Gov. Kasich's workaround means more than 350,000 gained Medicaid coverage in the Buckeye State in 2014. But the legislature needs to approve the program next year for it to continue, hospital chief warns.
With an improving fiscal climate, many states are increasing benefits for Medicaid recipients and paying their providers more.
They were among 21 states required by Obamacare to broaden eligibility for school-age children.
Some of a hospital's income now depends on keeping patients healthy. Kevin Wiehrs seeks to save hospitals money by keeping former patients out of the hospital.
About three-quarters of the savings will go to hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid.
The federal-state program, called CHIP, is funded only for another year under the law, and advocates worry that without it, some kids may suffer.
Provisions in the Affordable Care Act seek to curb individual states from setting new mandates requiring insurers to cover specific care but many local legislators are trying to work around that.
Unlike Medicare, private insurers do not publish their payments, and experts say the prices they pay hospitals for the same procedure vary widely.
A South Los Angeles family illustrates the opportunities and challenges as the state takes its first steps toward expanding behavioral treatment for poor children.
Yet many uninsured kids would be eligible for coverage under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Health and social spending as measured by the Census Bureau grew by only 3.7 percent from the second quarter of 2013 to the same quarter of 2014.
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers readers' questions.
State Obamacare decisions are key factors in how outreach strategies are taking shape for the next open enrollment period.
Gov. LePage's decision to shrink, rather than expand, Medicaid has put strains on health providers as well as the poor.
Federal actuaries say the economic rebound and increasing number of people with insurance will push up spending.
State taxpayers could spend more than $10 billion by 2022 to provide medical coverage for low-income residents of other states while getting nothing in return.
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