State Medicaid decisions hurt community health centers serving neediest

Community health centers in states that have rejected the Medicaid expansion under the health law will lose out on a half billion dollars in new revenue in 2014 that could hamper their ability to serve millions of uninsured people seeking care, according to a study from George Washington University.

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: State Medicaid Decisions Cost Community Health Centers
A new study by George Washington University researchers estimates that 518 health centers in the more than two dozen states not expanding Medicaid will lose out on $555 million next year because their uninsured patients won't get Medicaid or federally subsidized coverage in the new online health insurance marketplaces (Galewitz, 10/16).

Stateline: Neediest Health Centers to Get Least ACA Funding
Community health centers in states that have rejected Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act will forgo more than half a billion dollars in new revenue in 2014, according to a new report from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. In 2014, the study estimates, community health centers in the 25 states that have chosen to expand Medicaid will gain an estimated $2 billion in Medicaid money from newly eligible patients. By contrast, the 25 states that have opted out will miss out on an estimated $555 million. "Health centers in opt-out states can be expected to struggle, falling further behind their expansion state counterparts in terms of service capacity, number of patients served (both insured and uninsured), and in their ability to invest in initiatives that improve the quality and efficiency of health care," the report states (Vestal, 10/17).