If the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act do so, 3.7 million people will be covered by 2023.This would reduce the uninsured rate by 29.1%, or August Report Discovered by the Urban Institute.
it comes after the department of health and human services announced last week In early 2022, the national uninsured rate hit a record low of 8%.
States have the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to those earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. States that have not yet done so are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Eleven of the 13 states with the highest uninsured rates have yet to expand Medicaid, the Urban Institute said. The 13 states with the highest uninsured rates are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas state and Wyoming. The only non-expansion state that doesn’t have the lowest uninsured rate is Wisconsin, which expanded Medicaid eligibility to adults with incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level and no ACA.
The report uses a simulation model of the healthcare system that estimates the cost and coverage effects of proposed healthcare policy options.
“There is growing evidence that increased health insurance reduces mortality and increases financial security for low-income households,” the report said. “It could also reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and increase access to effective contraception, which is especially important after the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion. Medicaid expansion also improves hospital finances and can boost state economies. “
Here are other findings reported by the Urban Institute:
- With the expansion, Medicaid enrollment will increase by 6.4 million, or 35.9%. The states with the largest increases were Wyoming (65.4%), Florida (42.6%) and Kansas (42.2%).
- The groups that benefit the most are blacks, young people and women, especially those of childbearing age. If the 12 states expanded Medicaid, the number of uninsured blacks in those states would decrease by 46.1%, the number of uninsured young adults would decrease by 35.2%, and the number of uninsured women of reproductive age would decrease by 36.2%.
- Medicaid and marketing spending in non-expansion states will increase by $34.5 billion, or 26.6 percent, although this will be partially offset by a $2.6 billion federal savings on unpaid care.
- On the state side, Medicaid spending in non-expansion states will increase by $2.7 billion, or 5.2%. But that will be partially offset by $1.7 billion in savings for state and local governments on unpaid care.
- Despite these costs, Medicaid expansion will save money in other areas. For example, states will save on unpaid care and get higher matching rates for certain beneficiaries, and tax revenue will increase.
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