Thursday, June 12, 2014

POLITICS - The Medicaid Expansion Fight, Update

"Unexpected legislature resignation tips Virginia fight over Medicaid expansion" PBS NewsHour 6/10/2014

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  The battles over whether to expand Medicaid coverage under the federal health care law are still playing out in a number of states this summer, the latest, Virginia, where Republicans in the state Senate grabbed control of that chamber yesterday, and prevented Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, from opting into the expansion.

It happened after another Democrat, a state senator, unexpectedly resigned amid claims that he was trading his seat for another position and an appointment for his daughter.

Meanwhile, there are a handful of states, including Indiana, Pennsylvania and Utah, where Republican governors are considering participating in Medicaid expansion, but only with more requirements and restrictions from those who would be covered.

So far, 26 states, plus the District of Columbia, have agreed to expand.  The Obama administration says six million people have gained Medicaid coverage.  But there may be nearly two million waiting for their applications to be processed.

Julie Rovner, who is now with Kaiser Health News, joins us now.

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