Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder became the sixth GOP governor to recommend an expansion of the state's Medicaid program to include individuals slightly above the poverty line, marking the second time in recent years he's branched away from his party's staunch resistance to the federal health law, according to a report by the Washington Post.
The move would cover 470,000 previously uninsured poor Michigan residents in the long term, while saving the state an estimated $200 million annually by shifting the cost of various state-funded mental health and medical services to the federal government. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the feds will pay 100 percent of the expansion cost for three years and 90 percent after that. Snyder proposed reserving half of the savings in the first three years to cover Michigan's share of the tab until 2035, according to the report.
Gov. Snyder joins Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and North Dakota on the list of GOP-governed states that have urged embracing the expansion. The governor supported a state-run health insurance marketplace that was shot down in his Republican-controlled legislature and is now working toward a partnership exchange that would share control with federal regulators.
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Ohio Governor Floats Medicaid Expansion
The move would cover 470,000 previously uninsured poor Michigan residents in the long term, while saving the state an estimated $200 million annually by shifting the cost of various state-funded mental health and medical services to the federal government. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the feds will pay 100 percent of the expansion cost for three years and 90 percent after that. Snyder proposed reserving half of the savings in the first three years to cover Michigan's share of the tab until 2035, according to the report.
Gov. Snyder joins Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and North Dakota on the list of GOP-governed states that have urged embracing the expansion. The governor supported a state-run health insurance marketplace that was shot down in his Republican-controlled legislature and is now working toward a partnership exchange that would share control with federal regulators.
More Articles on Medicaid Expansion:
CBO: Medicare, Medicaid Spending Growth Slowing by 15%Sebelius: Medicaid Expansion 'Isn't a Bait and Switch'
Ohio Governor Floats Medicaid Expansion