Healthcare

Obamacare is Working

Medicaid

According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Council of Economic Advisers, hospitals in state that have expanded Medicaid will save $4.2 billion in uncompensated care this year alone.

From The New York Times:

“Because of the Affordable Care Act,” Ms. Burwell said, “we project that hospitals will save $5.7 billion in uncompensated care costs this year. Hospitals in states that have expanded Medicaid are projected to save up to $4.2 billion of the total amount.” [...]

Uncompensated care represents the combined total of unpaid hospital bills and charity care provided to low-income patients.

It’s a different story for hospitals in states where Republican governors or Republican-controlled legislatures have refused to expand Medicaid.

In those states, hospitals are losing money and some have even been forced to close.

I have a hunch that the last of the holdout states will change their tune in 2017 and that won’t be a coincidence.