Tag: Medicaid
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No Medicaid Expansion without Reform
John M. O’Bannon III, R-Henrico, is a neurologist, and his medical practice provides care to indigent patients with little hope of paying their bills, but he is also a Republican delegate to the General Assembly. When he contemplates an expansion of Medicaid, a top priority of incoming Governor Terry McAuliffe, he is very concerned about…
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New Concerns about Medicaid Expansion
The debate over Medicaid expansion in Virginia just got more complicated… again. A new study found that 10,000 new low-income Medicaid recipients in Oregon visited emergency rooms 40% more often than those without insurance, reports the Wall Street Journal. The finding undercuts claims that expanding the program would save money as low-income patients utilized primary…
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Expand Free Clinics, Not Medicaid
by James A. Bacon So, what’s the alternative to expanding Virginia’s Medicaid program? Let an estimated 400,000 Virginians continue without health insurance? That option was workable in the past because the federal government gave financial aid to hospitals to help offset some of the cost of providing health care to indigent patients. But the Affordable…
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Game Changer for Medicaid Debate
by James A. Bacon The debate over Medicaid expansion took a major left turn yesterday when the McDonnell administration revealed that the VCU Medical Center and the University of Virginia Medical Center will lose about $500 million in federal funds to offset uncompensated care between 2017 and 2022. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will phase…
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Medicaid Madness
State bean counters have revised their estimates for what it would cost to expand the state Medicaid program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The good news is that Virginia actually would save money, thanks to federal reimbursements and other provisions in Obamacare, through 2019. And when it does start costing the state,…