HHS Courts Skeptic States to With Premium Subsidies for Medicaid Expansion

Ever since Gov. Mike Beebe (D-Arkansas) won his request — with “conceptual approval” — from HHS to use Medicaid expansion money to subsidize private insurance for the poor, the Obama administration’s health law backers have urged other wary states to follow Arkansas’ pro-private path, according to a report by the New York Times — although it may cost more.

The “premium assistance” model is easier to swallow for governors worried about public dependence on government programs or increased liability from larger Medicaid rolls.

By Arkansas’ estimates, the voucher-esque plan insures 500,000 more people via the health insurance exchanges and shrinks traditional Medicaid enrollment. Some critics question the affordability of such a program, as private insurance is more expensive than government plans, and that could make it funding the subsidies appealing in an era of political penny pinching.

HHS Courts Skeptic States to With Premium Subsidies for Medicaid Expansion

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