Apr 29 2014
While Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, awaits a federal decision on his request to link a work requirement to Medicaid expansion benefits, Democratic governors and GOP lawmakers in Missouri, Montana and Virginia have battled each other to stalemates on the expansion.
Politico: Trio of Democrats Stuck In Medicaid Morass
In Missouri, Montana and Virginia, Democratic governors and Republican Legislatures have battled each other to stalemates, preventing hundreds of thousands of low income people from getting covered under the president's health law and fueling the ongoing Obamacare battles leading up to the 2014 elections. Each of these three governors has made Medicaid a central plank of his agenda, and each has slammed into a wall of Republican resistance, failing where their 17 counterparts - and even nine Republican governors - have succeeded (Cheney and Haberkorn, 4/27).
The Associated Press: Pennsylvania Awaits Ruling On Medicaid Expansion
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has softened his rhetoric while he awaits a federal decision on his request to link a work requirement to benefits under the Medicaid expansion. It's an issue that has flared up in his hotly contested re-election campaign (4/27).
The Richmond Times-Dispatch: Medicaid Issue May Push Budget To The Brink
If necessary, Senate Democrats pushing for the expansion of Medicaid are prepared to prolong resolution of a new, two-year state budget beyond June 30, the end of the fiscal year. "I am prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure we leave no Virginian behind when it comes to health care," said Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, the chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. It favors accepting millions in federal dollars to fund expansion to the 400,000 uninsured, working poor in the commonwealth. House Republican leaders insist that Medicaid must be "decoupled" from the budget, so the budget can be settled in time for localities and schools to set their own spending plans (Nolan, 4/27).
The St. Louis Post Dispatch: Missouri Hospital Board May Rethink Medicaid Decision
Western Missouri Medical Center trustees may rethink remaining neutral on state Medicaid expansion. In March, the board reaffirmed last year's decision to table the "partisan political issue." At Friday's board meeting, Missouri Hospital Association information showed state hospitals have eliminated almost 1,000 full-time equivalent positions in the last six months and a hiring freeze has been implemented for another 2,145 positions. Much of the reduction has hit the state's rural areas (Sterling, 4/25).
The Tennessean: Time Is Growing Short For 100% Medicaid Match
Talks continue between Gov. Bill Haslam's staff and federal officials about how Tennessee can receive Medicaid expansion money, but time is running out for the state to get the full benefit. Tennessee began losing out on $6.1 million a day on Jan. 1, when the federal government began picking up all the cost for covering people who newly qualify for Medicaid under expanded guidelines - an offer that goes away at the end of 2016 (Wilemon, 4/28).
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 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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