For example, officials in Arizona, which expanded Medicaid coverage in 2000, project that the state’s share of Medicaid spending under the Senate bill would be $17 billion in the first seven years of reform, compared with $1.4 billion if Arizona had not expanded coverage.
However, the health reform bill passed by the House in November would give more relief from the cost-sharing provisions to states with expanded coverage than the Senate bill does.
The difference will have to be sorted out by the House-Senate conference committee tasked with merging the two bills in the next month.
Read the New York Times’ report on health reform.
