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Gov. Steve Beshear, in a statement Tuesday Morning, ripped Republican gubernatorial nominee Matt Bevin for suggesting that he would save money by seeking a waiver from the federal government to revamp Kentucky's Medicaid expansion. Bevin has wavered on how he would attack the the expansion while continually saying that Kentucky can't afford it. On some days, he says he would do away with the expansion, on others he has called for seeking a federal waiver to redesign the system and on one occasion, he said he would "tweak" it. But in a statement released by the Kentucky Democratic Party, Beshear said that the system his administration has designed is the most cost effective and helps more people in Kentucky, one of the sickest state's in the country. (Gerth, 9/22)

Vermont is tied with Massachusetts for having the lowest rate of uninsured residents in the country. But that success might be coming at a high price. An unexpected spike in Medicaid costs has put the program and its thousands of new enrollees under heightened scrutiny. It's been less than three months since the start of the state fiscal year, but analysts say it already looks like Medicaid costs could come in as much as $60 million over budget in the 2016. (Hirshfeld, 9/23)

As [New Hampshire] lawmakers prepare for next year's political battle over Medicaid expansion, supporters said the state's ability to tackle a growing drug abuse problem will be dramatically reduced if the program comes to an end. "Medicaid expansion kind of allowed substance misuse providers to go from 0 to 60 from a service standpoint," said Abby Shockley, executive director of the New Hampshire Alcohol and Other Drug Service Providers Association. (Ronayne, 9/22)