More Evidence that Medicaid Expansion Hasnt Hurt State Budgets

[riversedge]

Source: cbpp.org




April 18, 2017 at 4:15 PM

Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not lead to significant increases in state spending on Medicaid even as millions of low-income people gained health coverage, a new study in Health Affairs found. The findings refute Medicaid expansion critics’ continued claims that states cannot afford the expansion, and affirm that the real threat to state budgets are Republicans’ continued attempts to repeal the ACA.

The study examined data compiled by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) from 2010-2015 in all 50 states (the District of Columbia was not included) and looked at changes in federal and state spending on Medicaid, along with spending in other budget areas, such as education and transportation.

Medicaid expansion was associated with a statistically significant increase in both total spending and federal spending on Medicaid after expansion took effect in 2014, the study found. The federal investment under the ACA has enabled more than 11 million people to gain Medicaid coverage, which across the country, and in expansion states in particular, has led to the lowest uninsured rate on record.

Importantly, the study found expansion was not associated with a statistically significant increase in state spending on Medicaid. This isn’t surprising because expansion is an extremely good deal for states: the federal government paid the entire cost of expansion from 2014-2016, and will pay no less than 90 percent of the cost going forward.

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Read more: http://www.cbpp.org/blog/more-evidence-that-medicaid-expansion-hasnt-hurt-state-budgets

[benld74]

1. NOT Expanding Medicare

Was GOP method of hurting
ACA

[CottonBear]

2. The SCOTUS ruled that states did not have to expand Medicaid.

So, red states opted not to because A; they hate the poor, B: they hate non-whites and C: they hated that a black man was POTUS,

[not fooled]

3. Geez, it looks like

corporate media coverage of the ACA was by and large a bunch of GOPee-driven negative, phony propaganda.

The truth is emerging, slowly, that the ACA does much good and works well when not sabotaged. And the pukes are desperate to stop 'Muricans from realizing that.



P.S. I'm an advocate for single-payer and not a fan of for-profit insurance-based health care. Nevertheless, the ACA is a huge step forward for Americans.

[IronLionZion]

4. States benefit economically from having healthy people

there's a reason blue states generally have stronger economies.

[roamer65]

5. Healthier people need less health care.

That's why costs are lower in Canada, Australia and Europe.

A "no-brainer".