More than half of rural residents who could gain coverage through Medicaid expansion live in states that have opted not to extend the program, Tim McBride, a health economist with Rural Policy Research Institute, told attendees at a recent rural healthcare conference in
By comparison, more than half of urban residents eligible for coverage under Medicaid expansion live in states that have decided to expand the program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Mr. McBride told hospital administrators and others at the conference.
Twenty-one states have decided against Medicaid expansion, according to the report. Others such as
There isn't an upside to not expanding the program, Mr. McBride said at the conference. He said states that don't expand the program will also negatively impact hospitals — which will experience reimbursement rate cuts under the reform law — by not accepting federal funds to support the expansion.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has urged states to expand their Medicaid programs, saying she's eager to work with policymakers looking to expand Medicaid in innovative ways.
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