Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Blogs
    • AI
    • Deals
    • Layoff Tracker
    • HIMSS 2023
  • Opinion
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 40 Under 40
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - AI and Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
  • Data & Insights
    • Data & Insights Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Government
September 10, 2013 12:00 AM

Reform Update: Newly eligible Medicaid enrollees healthier than current beneficiaries, study finds

Steven Ross Johnson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Americans newly eligible to receive Medicaid coverage in states that have opted to expand their coverage beginning next year overall are likely to be healthier than current Medicaid beneficiaries, a study found. And that could significantly lower the cost to the federal government and the states of the coverage expansion.

    The study, published in the latest issue of the Annals of Family Medicine, found that newly eligible people are more likely to have an overall better health status than current beneficiaries, with 75% in “very good” or “good” health compared with 65% of current Medicaid recipients having “very good” or “good” health.

    Researchers at the University of Michigan found that people who will be eligible for the program through the expansion are likely to have lower rates of obesity and depression than current enrollees, and will on average be younger and more likely to be white and male.

    “The national estimate for the cost of Medicaid expansion is based current enrollees,” said study co-author Dr. Tammy Chang. “Our study shows that likely the newer enrollees are going to have less chronic disease, and so providing healthcare may have lower than expected costs.”

    The findings showed higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption among newly eligible enrollees compared with current Medicaid recipients.

    But Chang said the Medicaid expansion will give healthcare professionals an opportunity to work with new Medicaid beneficiaries on changing their behavior before serious medical conditions develop. “As a family physician we see a lot of complicated Medicaid patients,” Chang said. “It would be wonderful to have newly eligible Medicaid patients who are healthy now but maybe have some health behaviors we can work on.”

    Nearly half the states have refused to expand their Medicaid programs to adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level as authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Republican leaders in those states have argued have contended the expansion would be too expensive for their states, even though the federal government would pay 100% of the cost of the expansion for the first three years and 90% after that.

    But the study, which used data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, suggests the costs of providing health coverage for the millions expected to be added to the program may not be as high as previously projected.

    A 2012 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated the Medicaid expansion would increase total state spending on the program by $76 billion through 2022. The Congressional Budget Office projects 13 million people will become eligible for Medicaid by 2022.

    If new Medicaid members are younger and healthier, that could change how healthcare providers view serving Medicaid patients, because they would be less costly and time-consuming to care for, she said.

    Arizona Medicaid expansion opponents falling short in bid to rid new law

    Medicaid expansion opponents in Arizona have until Wednesday to get the more than 86,000 signatures needed to temporarily block the expansion approved by the Legislature and get a referendum for its repeal on the ballot in November 2014.

    Reports indicate that as of Monday, a petition to block the newly passed legislation that is expected to provide health coverage for 300,000 low-income residents was about 5,000 signatures short.

    Petition organizers have reportedly said they would likely not file the petition if they did not reach their goal by Wednesday's deadline.

    If the petition drives fails to gather enough signatures to place the repeal initiative on the ballot, some conservatives have promised to file a lawsuit to block the Medicaid expansion legislation on the basis that it's a tax increase requiring approval by a legislative supermajority under the state constitution.

    Ohio may move forward on Medicaid expansion bill this year

    Medicaid expansion advocates in Ohio have begun taking steps to put an initiative on the ballot in 2014 to expand the program, given the inability of lawmakers thus far to pass legislation that would see an estimated 300,000 residents get coverage. Republican Gov. John Kasich supports the expansion but many GOP lawmakers have opposed it.

    Last week the group Healthy Ohioans Work submitted a petition to start the process of getting an expansion proposal on the ballot.

    Upon its review, if the attorney general accepts the proposal as valid then petitioners would have to get more than 100,000 signatures to get it before the legislature for consideration.

    But the office of Ohio's Republican House Speaker William Batchelder said the ballot initiative might not be necessary. His spokesman said the House is moving to pass some version of a Medicaid expansion when members return to session in October.

    Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHSjohnson

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    congress prescription drugs
    PBMs, Big Pharma face off in House hearing
    Biden COVID copy_i_i.jpg
    Biden administration asks employers to help more workers who lose Medicaid
    Most Popular
    1
    Centene to lay off 2,000 workers
    2
    How health systems are battling price-gouging allegations
    3
    Senate advances bill to temporarily aid hospitals, health centers
    4
    Elevance, Blue Cross Louisiana halt $2.5B proposed deal
    5
    Tower Health to sell urgent care centers, close others
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare Alert: Sign up for this breaking news email to be kept in the loop as urgent healthcare business news unfolds.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Help Center
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Blogs
      • AI
      • Deals
      • Layoff Tracker
      • HIMSS 2023
    • Opinion
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • 40 Under 40
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - AI and Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
      • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
    • Data & Insights
      • Data & Insights Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing