As the government gears up to expand Medicaid, 13 states have made or are about to make cuts to their Medicaid programs to offset budget pressures, according to a Kaiser Health News report.
Most state Medicaid cuts went into effect as of July 1, when several new fiscal years started. The 13 states that are cutting Medicaid include:
• Alabama
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut (potential cuts this fall)
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• New Hampshire
• South Dakota
• Wisconsin
As states cut Medicaid payments to hospitals and physicians, some are concerned it could make it that much harder to expand the program in 2014 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "Some providers may be unwilling to accept new Medicaid patients," former New York Medicaid Director Deborah Bachrach said in the report.
Most state Medicaid cuts went into effect as of July 1, when several new fiscal years started. The 13 states that are cutting Medicaid include:
• Alabama
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut (potential cuts this fall)
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• New Hampshire
• South Dakota
• Wisconsin
As states cut Medicaid payments to hospitals and physicians, some are concerned it could make it that much harder to expand the program in 2014 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "Some providers may be unwilling to accept new Medicaid patients," former New York Medicaid Director Deborah Bachrach said in the report.
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