|
|
| GAO says Arkansas' 'private option' to cost extra $778 million |
| By therepublic.com- Kelly P. Kissel |
| Published: 09/09/2014 |
|
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Arkansas' Medicaid expansion plan, in which the state uses federal dollars to buy private health insurance for its poorer residents, will cost taxpayers an extra $778 million over the next three years rather than being "revenue-neutral" to the federal budget, according to a government report released Monday. The plan's supporters disputed the findings. According to the U.S. General Accountability Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't ensure that Arkansas' "private option" Medicaid plan wouldn't cost the federal government additional money. It said DHHS-imposed spending limits of $4 billion were about $778 million more than what would have been expected under the traditional fee-for-service Medicaid program. The nation's new health care law allowed states to expand Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes of up to 133 percent of the poverty line. Arkansas' plan, initially approved in 2013 and reauthorized in March, was the first to seek permission to use Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance for the poor. State legislators will be asked to reauthorize it again next year. Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think