Lawmakers in Alabama are warming to the idea of expanding Medicaid and are looking to Arkansas as a model, the Alabama Reflector reported April 10.
Arkansas became one of the first Southern states to expand Medicaid in 2014. But unlike others, it opted for a private insurance route with the dollars it received from the federal government.
The ideas behind the move were increased competition in the insurance market, a guaranteed purchaser that lowered rates, a reduction in applications for disability benefits and financially stabilizing hospitals. Those benefits have since emerged, according to the report.
According to research cited in the report, Alabama experiences roughly 192 deaths per year due to not expanding Medicaid. Arkansas, in comparison, averted 110 deaths due to expansion.
North Carolina became the 40th state to adopt Medicaid expansion March 27 when Gov. Roy Cooper signed it into law.