This is the intro to a story I did for AL.com . For full interview click on link at bottom.
Just say ‘Yes’ to Medicaid expansion and more people will get health insurance and the economic benefit will be in the billions of dollars.
Say no and the state gets no extra dough.
Alabama said ‘no’ in 2014, turning down full federal funding to expand the program to hundreds of thousands of people and the requisite economic benefit estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
Although we can’t go back and get that money — the federal funding was at 100 percent for three years. We can still say yes to expansion and reap benefits going forward. The federal funding fixes at 90 percent of costs starting in 2020. The state’s investment of $1 billion in Medicaid would generate $11 billion in increased economic activity between 2020 and 2023, according to David J. Becker, professor in UAB’s School of Public Health.
Becker has been at the forefront in studying the economics of an expansion. His reports have been cited by proponents, which include hospitals. We ask him six questions.
1. You were quoted by AL.com as saying the state missed out on the ‘deal of the century.’ Elaborate on what you mean by that.
For rest of story and commenters reaction, go here.