St. Louis Forum

Facts:

Medicaid provides health coverage to millions of Americans, including eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities.
In Missouri, the current annual income cap to receive Medicaid coverage is $3,612 per year income for a family of 3 and no eligibility for childless adults without a total and permanent disability.
If Missouri expands Medicaid coverage (like 37 other U.S. states have already done), a family of 3 will be eligible to receive Medicaid coverage with an income up to $29,974 annually and a single adult will be eligible with an income up to $17,609 annually
Projected best guess cost of expansion to the state of Missouri budget projected by Washington University Center on Health Economics and Policy: 2020 state budget savings of $39 million because expansion brings $1 billion a year back to Missouri in Federal tax revenue already collected; no tax increases (at worst estimate, pay 10% of cost or break even)
Because decreased state spending for the Department of Mental Health, criminal justice, other costs will save budget money
Because jobs saved and created will increase employment: increased payroll taxes, increased sales taxes and decreased reliance on safety net programs

Public health implications:

Access to care, diagnosis, treatment (prevention costs less than emergency care for very ill people who were not initially diagnosed and treated)
Increased kids’ enrollment
32% decrease in cigarette purchases and increase purchase of smoking cessation products in expansion states
Fewer cardiovascular deaths per year in Medicaid expansion state counties
6% lower rate of opioid overdose deaths than in non-expansion state counties
41% relative reduction in all-cause mortality for nonwhite people (Medicaid expansion reduces racial health disparities)
The Missouri expansion population includes: 200,000+ people: 50,000 parents, 18,000 near retirees, 71% work full-time; 14% work part-time in food preparation, service, farming, delivery
Will result in healthier, more productive employees for employers and our workforce

Impact on hospitals: (We all pay for uncompensated hospital costs to serve uninsured patients)

Medicaid expansion reduces hospitals’ uncompensated care costs
163 rural U.S. hospitals have closed since 2010; 7 in Missouri due to uncompensated costs
Lower uncompensated care costs:
Keeps hospitals open which is important to rural employers
Lowers the private insurance premiums of everyone who currently has private health insurance coverage between 13%-25%

Here are some additional articles that may be of interest to those who’d like to go deeper: