The big story this week was a report by the Associated Press showing that enrollments and costs blew past projections in half the states that expanded Medicaid. There was a flurry of follow-on local media reports showing how this would adversely affect the budgets in those 14 states, including Michigan, Illinois, California, and Maryland.
Alarm bells sound b/c Medicaid expansion blew past projections in >12 states (monstrous holes when 100% match ends)
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Alarm-over-Medicaid-enrollment-surge-6394022.php
Alarm bells – KY lawmakers concerned ‘we don’t know how to plug Medicaid expansion budget hole.’ #Malpractice
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2015/July/High-Medicaid-Enrollment-Worries-State-Lawmakers/
Alarm bells – Michigan share of Medicaid expansion cost balloons from $718M to $840M through 2019-2020 budget
http://www.petoskeynews.com/gaylord/featured-ght/surge-in-medicaid-enrollment-will-squeeze-michigan-budget/article_42d02de6-aaaa-552a-8534-a1a67c0d8afa.html
Alarm bells – Medicaid expansion blew past projections in Illinois (pensions or Medicaid, Illinois, hmm?)
http://www.nwherald.com/2015/07/19/illinois-medicaid-expansion-sign-ups-double-predictions/asp5iuz/
Ohio seeks waiver to require Medicaid recipients to pay into HSAs (need more money, John?)
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150718/MAGAZINE/307189950
Medicaid expansion is intergenerational theft and child abuse; it’s all borrowed money; future generations to pay
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865633131/Why-Republicans-should-not-support-Healthy-Utah.html?pg=all
Medicaid expansion is all borrowed money. How stupid is that?
Other Top News:
150 small business owners descend on Capitol Hill to protest #Obamcare fines for helping employees with healthcare
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/248905-small-business-owners-swarm-dc-to-oppose-obamacare-fines
Latest Vitter effort to end Congressional exemption to #Obamacare targets lawmakers, exempts staff
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/421455/fraudulent-congressional-obamacare-subsidies-ted-cruz-david-vitter-legislative-effort
Anthem to buy Cigna for $48.4 billion (observers fear consolidation will lead to higher premiums and less choice)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/anthem-buy-cigna-48-4-102438413.html
710,000 #ACA customers claimed tax credits but didn’t file returns, potentially costing gov’t $2B in bogus payments
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/20/obamacare-fraudulent-claims-cost-government-2-bill/
Q: How is #Obamacare like a kidney stone?
A: You have to pass it to find out what’s in it.