Resources for States Not Yet Committed to Medicaid Expansion
The June 2012 Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act upheld the law, but effectively made the Medicaid expansion optional. The importance of Medicaid expansion for HCH projects and those we serve cannot be overstated. The Affordable Care Act’s key benefit for the lowest income individuals in our communities is lost if states do not opt for expansion since individuals below the poverty level are not eligible for subsidized coverage in the Health Insurance Exchanges.
As of June 2015, 28 states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid, leaving 21 states without a health insurance option for the poor. The arguments in favor of Medicaid expansion are compelling, but it will take public pressure and dedicated advocacy to convince officials in these states to expand Medicaid. The HCH community should be part of these efforts. Use the documents below to further your advocacy efforts.
National HCH Council Resources
- Template letter to elected/reelected state officials (expansion states)
- Template letter to elected/reelected state officials (non-expansion states)
- National Health Care for the Homeless Council & Kaiser Family Foundation: Early Impacts of the Medicaid Expansion for the Homeless Population | November 2014
- National Health Care for the Homeless Council: Living and Working in the Coverage Gap: Homeless Health Care in States Yet to Expand Medicaid | November 2014
- National Health Care for the Homeless Council: Medicaid Expansion Position Paper | January 2013
- National Health Care for the Homeless Council Advocacy Guide | May 2014
- National Health Care for the Homeless Council: State Contacts List | May 2014
National Analyses and Research
- White House Council of Economic Advisors: Missed Opportunities: The Consequences of State Decisions Not to Expand Medicaid | June 2015
- Kaiser Interactive Map: A State-by-State Look at How the Uninsured Fare Under the ACA
- Kaiser: State Profiles: How Will the Uninsured Fare Under the ACA (state fact sheets available for download)
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion: A Tool Kit for State Advocates
- White House Council of Economic Advisers: Missed Opportunities: The Consequences of State Decisions Not to Expand Medicaid | July 2014
- Urban Institute: Eligibility for Assistance and Projected Changes in Coverage Under the ACA: Variation Across States | Updated May 2014
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Correcting Seven Myths About Medicaid | April 2014
- Kaiser: The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States that Do Not Expand Medicaid | Updated March 2014
- Health Affairs: Opting Out of Medicaid: The Health and Financial Impacts | January 2014
- The Commonwealth Fund: How States Stand to Gain or Lose Federal Funds by Opting In or Out of the Medicaid Expansion | December 2013
- Kaiser: The Role of Medicaid in State Economies and the ACA | November 2013
- Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation: Assessing the Potential Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Uninsured Community Health Center Patients: A Nationwide and State-by-State Analysis | October 2013
- The Commonwealth Fund: In States’ Hands: How the Decision to Expand Medicaid Will Affect the Most Financially Vulnerable Americans | September 2013
- National Association of Community Health Centers: Medicaid: To Expand or Not? Key Arguments used on Both Sides | August 2013
- Kaiser: The Cost of Not Expanding Medicaid | July 2013
- Kaiser: Analyzing the Impact of State Medicaid Decisions | July 2013
- National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors: The Waterfall Effect: Transformative Impacts of Medicaid Expansion on States | December 2012
- Kaiser: The Cost and Coverage Implications of the ACA Medicaid Expansion: National and State-by-State Analysis | November 2012
- Urban Institute: Opting in to the Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Who Are the Uninsured Adults Who Could Gain Health Insurance Coverage? | August 2012
- Urban Institute: Consider Savings as Well as Costs | July 2012
- New England Journal of Medicine: Mortality and Access to Care among Adults after State Medicaid Expansions | July 2012
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: How Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Will Impact State Budgets | July 2012
National Advocacy Tools
- Families USA: Momentum on Medicaid Expansion | Updated September 2014
- Center for American Progress: Access to Medicaid Reduces Mortality Rates (post with infographic) | April 2013
- National Health Law Project: Top Five Myths and Facts about the Cost of the ACA’s Adult Medicaid Expansion | January 2013
- Families USA: A Fair Accounting of State Costs for the Medicaid Expansion | January 2013
- National Women’s Law Center: What the Medicaid Expansion Means for Women | November 2012
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Medicaid Expansion Could Cut Native Americans’ Uninsurance Rate by Half | November 2012
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Half of Uninsured Veterans Could Gain Coverage through Medicaid Expansion | October 2012
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Medicaid Will Improve Outcomes, Lower Costs for People with HIV | October 2012
- National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems: Medicaid Expansion Benefits Everyone | October 2012
- Network—A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby: The Medicaid Expansion: A Toolkit for State-Level Advocacy | October 2012
- National Health Law Project: 50 Reasons Medicaid Expansion Is Good for Your State | August 2012
- Families USA: Medicaid’s Success: Good Care | August 2012
- National Health Law Project: Top Ten Reasons the Medicaid Expansion Helps to Address Health Disparities | August 2012
- National Health Law Project: 10 Advocacy Steps to Support a Medicaid Expansion in Your State | July 2012
- Bazelton Center for Mental Health Law: Take Advantage of New Opportunities to Expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act | July 2012
- National Association of Community Health Centers: Medicaid Expansion—Considerations for Health Centers
Cost Analysis Considerations
- National Health Law Project: NHeLP’s Guide for Evaluating Fiscal Analyses of the ACA’s Adult Medicaid Expansion | January 2013
- Families USA: Assessing State Costs for the Medicaid Expansion: A Checklist | January 2013
- Urban Institute: Considerations in Assessing State-Specific Fiscal Effects of the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion | September 2012
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Guidance on Analyzing and Estimating the Cost of Expanding Medicaid | August 2012
State Specific Resources
- The George Washington University Center for Health Policy Research: The Economic and Employment Costs ofNot Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina:A County-Level Analysis | December 2014
- Healthcare Georgia Foundation: The Economic Impact of Medicaid Expansion in Georgia | February 2013
- Indiana Hospital Association: Medicaid Expansion in Indiana | February 2013
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Presentation to Tennessee Senate Health and Welfare Committee | February 2013
- Texas Impact & Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas: Smart, Affordable, and Fair: Why Texas Should Expand Medicaid to Low-Income Adults | January 2013
- Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families: Strengthening Medicaid Helps Families | January 2013
- UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education & UCLA Center for Health Policy Research: Medi-Cal Expansion under the Affordable Care Act: Significant Increase in Coverage with Minimal Cost to the State | January 2013
- Ohio Presentation Slides: Expanding Medicaid in Ohio: Preliminary Analysis of Likely Effects | January 2013
- Pennsylvania Health Law Project: Expanding Medicaid in PA: Consider the Savings | January 2013
- Colorado Health Foundation: Medicaid Expansion: Examining the Impact on Colorado’s Economy | Winter 2013
- Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association: The Economic Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Virginia’s Economy | December 2012
- Florida’s Experience with Medicaid Reform: Florida’s Medicaid Choice: Understanding Implications of Supreme Court
Ruling on Affordable Health Care Act | November 2012 - University of Missouri School of Medicine Department of Health Management and Informatics: The Economic Impacts of Medicaid Expansion on Missouri | November 2012
- Center for Mississippi Health Policy: Medicaid Expansion: An Overview of Potential Impacts in Mississippi | November 2012
- University of Michigan Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation: The ACA’s Medicaid Expansion: Michigan Impact | October 2012
- Louisiana Budget Project: Medicaid Expansion: An Opportunity to Invest in Louisiana’s Workforce | September 2012
- North Carolina Justice Center: The Medicaid Expansion: A Transformative and Fiscally Sustainable Policy for North Carolina | August 2012
- University of Nebraska Medical Center: Center for Health Policy: Medicaid Expansion in Nebraska under the Affordable Care Act | August 2012