Sep 13, 2017

The effect of Medicaid expansion on the uninsured

In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled the Affordable Care Act could not mandate each state to expand Medicaid eligibility. That decision, in effect, created a nationwide experiment to see how uninsured rates would change when states opened up the program to more low-income people.

The bottom line: States that didn't expand Medicaid have much higher uninsured rates compared with states that expanded Medicaid, according to the latest Census Bureau data. Hospitals and doctors in Medicaid expansion states consequently recorded more patient visits, although that has tapered off.

Newsworthy: Texas and Florida, states that did not expand Medicaid and are grappling with the aftermath of two massive hurricanes, have two of the highest uninsured rates in the country (16.6% in Texas and 12.5% in Florida).

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Note: Thirty-one states and Washington, D.C. have expanded Medicaid as of January 1, 2017; Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Kaiser Family Foundation; Chart: Chris Canipe / Axios

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Marisa Fernandez

State and local officials fight to keep Medicaid for inmates

Angola prison in Louisiana. Photo: Giles Clarke/Getty Images

Some local and state officials want Medicaid to start picking up the tab for inmates' health care, Stateline reports.

How it works: Medicaid beneficiaries lose their coverage while they're incarcerated — including pretrial detention for people who can't make bail — and county governments are generally responsible for providing their care.

Go deeperJan 9, 2020

Marisa Fernandez

Study: Medicaid expansion helps improve infant mortality rates

A newborn baby in the intensive care unit. Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images

Medicaid expansion and other social services help improve infant mortality rates, according to a new report from the liberal Center for American Progress.

Why it matters: The U.S. is ranked 55th in the world on infant mortality — alongside Serbia.

Go deeperDec 17, 2019

Drew Altman, Kaiser Family Foundation

Health policy in 2020 will be made in the states

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

With legislation in Congress likely to be blocked by partisan division and interest group opposition, much of the real action in health care this year will be in the states.

The big picture: States don’t have the money or purchasing power the federal government does, but their decisions nevertheless affect millions of people, and they could signal the future of federal reform.

Go deeperJan 6, 2020