Report: Failure to Expand Medicaid Costs Florida Millions

Public News Service

By: Mona Shand

Florida is one of the states that did not opt for the Medicaid expansion, and it has been missing out on the economic benefits. Unfortunately, more than half-million people in Florida cannot afford health insurance, but do not qualify for Medicaid either. Now, Legislature is being accused of Florida’s hospitals having to reduce staff and services.

According to the report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, hospitals and clinics in Medicaid expansion states report opening new facilities, buying new equipment and hiring staff. To date, 31 states and the District of Columbia have chosen to expand Medicaid. Report co-author Jack Hoadley, a research professor at the Georgetown center, said states that have expanded Medicaid have seen major reductions in the amount of uncompensated care delivered by safety-net institutions, signifcant drops in the number of uninsured residents and budget savings for hospitals and community health centers.

“This is the kind of ripple effect,” Hoadley said. “It’s not just the patient now comes in and gets a service, or now comes in and is able to pay for the service as opposed to receiving charity care, but the dollars that are saved — or the dollars that are brought in to these institutions — really are used in ways that really fundamentally change the way care is delivered.”

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