Bloomberg Businessweek
January 18, 2012
A stipulation in the 2010 health- care law that bans U.S. states from dropping Medicaid patients has forced them to be more efficient in managing the program, according to a report published today.
While Medicaid, the joint U.S.-State health plan for low income people, is among the biggest expenses for states in a flagging economy, the 2010 health-care law prevents them from dropping members or tightening eligibility. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than half of states have streamlined their programs to save money, with most taking advantage of federal incentives to add new technology.