Medicaid

Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides medical care to nearly 70 million low-income individuals nationwide. It is a means-tested program that is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, including low-income adults, their children, and people with certain disabilities. Medicaid has expanded rapidly since its inception in 1965. This could possibly be linked to the program's financial structure, in which the federal government matches state spending. The incentives are so dysfunctional that states have inflated the cost of health care. • State expenditures on Medicaid have increased from 0.2 percent of tax revenues in 1966 to an estimated 21 percent in 2005. • In 1975, 10 percent of the U.S. population was enrolled in Medicaid, by 2008, 19 percent were enrolled. • In FY 2010, Medicaid surpassed elementary and secondary education as the largest component of total state spending. • ObamaCare will add 18 million people to Medicaid rolls. Even without reform, Medicaid spending may increase by as much as 50 percent in 10 years. This is an unsustainable model. State-by-State Insurance Information is available at this site.

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Kansas Governor Vetoes Medicaid Expansion

3/30/17

from The Wall Street Journal,

3/30/17:

Republican governor’s veto comes after GOP-led lawmakers approved the expansion this week.

Kansas’ Republican Gov. Sam Brownback vetoed Medicaid expansion in the state Thursday, two days after the GOP-controlled legislature there voted to extend eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act. The action by Mr. Brownback, who has been a staunch opponent of the law known as Obamacare, was expected. “It fails to serve the truly vulnerable before the able-bodied, lacks work requirements to help able-bodied Kansans escape poverty, and burdens the state budget with unrestrainable entitlement costs,” the governor said in a statement.

It wasn't immediately clear whether lawmakers would have the votes to override his move. The 25 votes in the Kansas Senate Tuesday in favor of expanding Medicaid fell just shy of the 27 that would be needed to overturn a veto. The House approved the same expansion measure in February.

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Kansas Governor Vetoes Medicaid Expansion