Gov. Rick Scott still playing to his base.
While Florida Gov. Rick Scott continues his
insane legal battle against Obamacare, throwing his state into budgetary and healthcare chaos, there's
this: Medicaid expansion is working really, really well in the states that took it.
[H]ospitals in expansion states are treating fewer uninsured patients, and the amount of uncompensated care they are providing is declining steeply. Moreover, contrary to critics' claims that Medicaid expansion is financially unsustainable for states, there is increasing evidence that expansion has saved states money, and these savings are expected to grow over time.
The Medicaid expansion has had an especially dramatic impact in Arkansas and Kentucky, which both had high uninsurance rates and limited Medicaid eligibility for non-elderly adults before health reform. Both states' uninsurance rates have fallen by half in just over a year, and the expansion is expected to save each state more than $100 million by the time their current state fiscal years end on June 30.
One hundred million dollars, for this fiscal year. That's because of less uncompensated healthcare that the state has to pick up to keep hospitals afloat. Programs for the low-income mentally ill and people with substance abuse are now being covered by Medicaid, instead of the states. Reimbursement rates for people with high medical expenses, like those receiving cancer treatments, are higher in the Medicaid expansion program than in the previously-existing Medicaid programs states set up. And here's a bonus on top of better coverage for lots more people: "Because more people have health coverage, states are collecting more revenue from their existing taxes on health providers and health plans, such as the managed care plans that serve Medicaid beneficiaries in many states."
If there's such a thing as a healthcare no-brainer, Medicaid expansion is it, and the results from the states which took the expansion prove it. It makes what's going on in Florida this week even more insane.