Yes, the State-Level Benefits of the Medicaid Expansion Are Very Large. Why Do You Ask?: Afternoon Comment
An interesting catch by CBPP from KHN:
State Medicaid Spending Growing Slower in Expansion States Than Others: “States that have expanded Medicaid… expect their share of Medicaid spending to grow more slowly this year than states that have not expanded… 4.4% this year, compared to 6.8% among non-expansion states…
That is $6 billion in 2014 alone. If it is permanent–capitalize it at 4%–that is $150 billion more that the non-expanding states have lost. That is serious money. And there is more, because:
States expanding Medicaid also typically cited net state budget savings beyond Medicaid. States reported that expanded coverage through Medicaid could allow for reductions in state spending for services such as mental health, correctional health, state-funded programs for the uninsured and uncompensated care.
Why? It really does look like trying to get your health-insurance system in shape by greatly curbing the number of uninsured makes places where you can save money without harming quality of care very obvious.
Moreover:
The uninsured rate among non-elderly adults has fallen by 38 percent in expansion states but only by 9 percent in non-expansion states, an Urban Institute survey found. The fact that the federal government picks up the entire cost of newly eligible individuals under the expansion allows states to expand coverage while limiting their costs…