Medicaid Expansion, Health Exchanges Continue To Draw Headlines
Jan 07, 2013 - Kaiser Health News
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Rick Scott is coming to Washington to meet with
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss related health
law implementation issues and concerns.
Politico
Pro: Medicaid Expansion: What To Watch For In 2013
Millions of lives and
billions of dollars have been heaped upon the doorsteps of state capitols, where
officials must decide whether to expand their Medicaid programs under the
Affordable Care Act in time for a 2014 launch. A handful of states, though, will
play a bellwether role, their political dynamics and path to expansion likely
instructive for others grappling with whether to grow their Medicaid rolls. The
federal government will pick up most of the cost of expansion under the health
law — but states are skeptical about that promise over the long haul, and are
worried about creating new entitlements that would be hard to roll back. Some
states may hold back for a year or more — they can opt to expand Medicaid later,
although theyfd lose some federal funds (Cheney and Smith, 1/7).
CNN:
Obamacare: A Few Changes Coming In 2013
While the bulk of the law goes into
place in 2014, you'll see a few changes this year. However, much of 2013 will be
dedicated to health facilities and government offices getting ready for the
larger changes coming down the road. On Thursday, the Department of Health and
Human Services conditionally approved eight more states' plans to set up their
own health insurance exchange programs. The conditional approvals mean a total
of 19 states plus the District of Columbia have the initial thumbs-up on their
plans. Two others, Arkansas and Delaware, have the go-ahead to run an exchange
in partnership with the federal government (Christiansen, 1/4).
Associated
Press/ Miami Herald: Scott, Sebelius To Meet In DC To Talk Health
Care
Gov. Rick Scott will meet with Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius to discuss the Affordable Care Act. The Republican governor
has been a vocal critic of so-called "Obamacare" but softened his stance after
the election, saying he was willing to work with federal officials. He's
repeatedly expressed concerns about potential costs to Florida taxpayers. The
meeting is slated for Monday. Florida must decide whether to expand its Medicaid
rolls, which could extend coverage to roughly 900,000 low-income residents
(1/7).
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