Pa. House committee advances bill to expand Medicaid eligibility

States continue to debate issues related to the health law's Medicaid expansion provision.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Bill To Expand Medicaid Advances Pa. House
A state House committee advanced a bill Wednesday to immediately expand Medicaid eligibility to more than a half-million uninsured Pennsylvanians. The Human Services Committee approved the bill on a 12-11 vote, with three Republicans, including Rep. Gene DiGirolamo of Bucks County, supporting expansion. DiGirolamo, the committee chairman, said he believed budgetary pressures could open the door for the bill to pass the House this month, despite opposition from other Republican leaders and Gov. Corbett. ... "I think the votes are there," said DiGirolamo. "We have a legitimate chance for it to be voted on before we go home for the summer." But House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin said there were "no plans" to bring the bill to the floor (Worden, 6/5).

Miami Herald: Health Leaders: State's Position Costing Hospitals
Alabama's refusal to expand Medicaid through federal health reform this year is hitting local hospitals in their pocketbooks, according to health care leaders and advocates for the poor. Regional Medical Center in Anniston and its nearby Jacksonville hospital have lost $1.2 million in revenue this year and expect to lose more next year because the state hasn't expanded Medicaid, hospital officials say. It's a situation hospitals across the state are also facing and will continue to face as long as the state does not expand its Medicaid program, health industry experts say (McCreless, 6/5).