Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Election Gains Could Threaten Medicaid Expansion Momentum
Obamacare鈥檚 Medicaid expansion is under renewed assault in the states even as the health law faces threats in Washington from the Supreme Court and a Republican Congress. A handful of Republican governors said that after the November elections, they鈥檇 be open to taking billions of federal dollars to cover millions of their low-income residents under the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Instead, Medicaid faces possible retrenchment after a Republican tide swept emboldened Obamacare foes into every level of government. (Wheaton, 1/14)
Meanwhile, in news from Florida -
Another influential business group wants to see Florida lawmakers accept federal dollars to help extend healthcare coverage to uninsured Floridians. In a report issued Tuesday, the the Florida Chamber of Chamber said it opposes "the traditional expansion of Medicaid." But the group would be willing to support a plan to use the federal funds that "embraces private solutions with flexible steps to eliminate the $1.4 billion cost shift on Florida families and caps Florida's Medicaid budget at 32 percent." (McGrory, 1/13)