A variety of states have make-or-break decisions looming about how they will manage their Medicaid programs in the wake of the Affordable Care Act, with media coverage starkly contrasting each region's views about healthcare reform.
In Idaho, the state could save as much as $380 million a year by signing on to the Medicaid expansion as part of the ACA, the Associated Press reported. The state's counties pay for much of Idaho's indigent care, spending about $60 million a year. Idaho could cover this spending with federal funds, according to the AP.
In nearby Wyoming, it could cost the state as much as $148 million over the next decade to expand Medicaid, reported the Casper Star-Tribune. Although the federal government would pick up much of the expansion's cost, Gov. Matt Mead said he does not believe the federal government has the funding to actually pay for it, according to the article.
Meanwhile, Maine has filed suit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to try and enact a waiver that would cut about 20,000 Medicaid recipients from the rolls, the Associated Press reported.
And in California, the state will receive increases in Medicaid funding as part of a program to provide attendant services to keep enrollees in the community rather than in skilled nursing facilities, reported AHA News Now. It is the first state to receive the additional funding as part of the Community First Choice Option program.
To learn more:
- read the AP report on Idaho's Medicaid program
- read the article on Wyoming's Medicaid options
- here's the article on Maine's Medicaid lawsuit
- check out the article on California's Medicaid expansion