{"id":25325,"date":"2022-08-08T13:44:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T13:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/?p=25325"},"modified":"2022-08-08T13:44:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T13:44:02","slug":"update-from-virginia-medicaid-expansions-positive-impacts-are-significant-and-come-as-no-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/?p=25325","title":{"rendered":"Update from Virginia: Medicaid expansion&#8217;s positive impacts are significant and come as no surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"cc-post-republisher-modal\"><button id=\"cc-post-republisher-modal-button-close\">\u00d7<\/button><\/p>\n<p><strong>REPUBLISHING TERMS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to The Pulse and you must include the author\u2019s name in your republication.<\/p>\n<p>If you have any questions, please email <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/pulse.ncpolicywatch.org\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#2a5d45584e5a584f59596a44495a45464349535d4b5e494204494547\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"2750485543575542545467494457484b4e445e504653444f0944484a\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"cc-post-republisher-license\">\n<h3>License<\/h3>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s39337.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/plugins\/cc-post-republisher\/assets\/img\/cc-by.png\" alt=\"Creative Commons License Attribution\" \/>Creative Commons Attribution<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Update from Virginia: Medicaid expansion\u2019s positive impacts are significant and come as no surprise<textarea id=\"cc-post-republisher-content-textarea\" readonly=\"readonly\">&lt;img class=&#8221;size-full wp-image-135740&#8243; src=&#8221;http:\/\/pulse.ncpolicywatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Medicaid-expansion-AdobeStock-1.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;450&#8243; height=&#8221;300&#8243; \/&gt; Image: AdobeStock&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nVeteran newspaper people in Detroit taught me the saying, &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.urbandictionary.com\/define.php?term=No%20Shit%20Sherlock&#8221;&gt;\u201cNo (rhymes with spit), Sherlock,\u201d&lt;\/a&gt; when I was a young journalist back in the early 1980s.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe profane phrase \u2013 I can\u2019t do it justice in a family publication \u2013 was used to refer to a headline or story stating something so obvious, so predictable, that it called into question why an editor assigned it. (Think \u201cGunfire leaves neighborhood shaken\u201d or \u201cBlizzard keeps residents home.\u201d You get my drift.)&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nSuch articles, though, occasionally are defensible. They prove that what politicians or community activists had predicted all along indeed came to fruition.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nWhich brings me to the recent Virginia Mercury story on how &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.virginiamercury.com\/2022\/08\/01\/study-virginia-medicaid-expansion-increased-financial-security-for-enrollees\/&#8221;&gt;the expansion of Medicaid in the commonwealth under Obamacare&lt;\/a&gt; \u2013 after years of spiteful, obstinate Republican opposition \u2013 provided financial security for adult enrollees.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe article was based on research published in the journal Health Affairs. It covered a study by lead author Hannah Shadowen, a medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University. &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/hbp.vcu.edu\/media\/hbp-dev\/pdfx27s\/policy-briefs\/MEDExReportFINAL.01.11.22(1).pdf&#8221;&gt;The study&lt;\/a&gt; was prepared for the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThis research found that new Medicaid enrollees were more likely to use a doctor\u2019s office than more expensive emergency rooms for their usual source of care. Stress decreased for nonmedical costs, including groceries and rent.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n\u201cNon-Hispanic Blacks reported a larger decrease in worries about the cost of normal healthcare after enrolling in Medicaid compared to non-Hispanic Whites,\u201d the study found, \u201csuggesting that Medicaid expansion was particularly meaningful for this group.\u201d&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nAlso, \u201crural members had a greater decrease in problems paying medical bills and unmet need for prescriptions in the year after enrolling in Medicaid, compared to non-rural members.\u201d&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nIn short, the lives of new Medicaid patients improved dramatically. That\u2019s great for the individuals \u2013 and for the state\u2019s image, too.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nWell, duh. NSS.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n&lt;em&gt;Of course&lt;\/em&gt; things got better for adults who hadn\u2019t been in the program because of previous restrictions. &lt;em&gt;Of course&lt;\/em&gt; it\u2019s preferable to have regular doctor visits and practice preventive care than to rush to high-priced ERs when a medical crisis hits.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n&lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dmas.virginia.gov\/data\/medicaid-expansion-enrollment\/&#8221;&gt;The state says more than 677,000 adults&lt;\/a&gt; have enrolled in Medicaid since expansion started in January 2019. Advocates initially believed, before the General Assembly changed course in 2018, that about 400,000 adults with incomes ranging up to 138% of the poverty line would sign up.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe issue is an indictment, too, of Republican state legislators who fought so hard, for so long, to deny access to health care to more adults. &lt;span id=&#8221;more-143608&#8243;&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;In this they were motivated by politics moreso than compassion for low-income Virginians: They were trying to prevent President Barack Obama and Democrats from notching a political victory while sacrificing the health of people who desperately needed it.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe approach was callous \u2013 as well as hypocritical, since &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dailypress.com\/news\/health\/dp-nws-virginia-lawmakers-health-insurance-story.html&#8221;&gt;many legislators participated in a low-premium, high-benefit state plan themselves&lt;\/a&gt;. A 2014 news account noted the state even covered more than 200 of these lawmakers\u2019 dependents.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nObamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, allowed states to expand Medicaid beginning in 2014, and it required the federal government to pay at least 90% of the cost. Republican opponents claimed the feds could renege on paying its share in later years.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThat argument was always dubious. For one, states rarely refuse federal funding based on the possibility Washington &lt;em&gt;might&lt;\/em&gt; cut off the spigot later.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nIt\u2019s akin to telling an ailing patient that you won\u2019t give him medicine now because it might lose potency in the future. So suffer in the meantime.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe GOP\u2019s craven stance was revealed fully after Republicans nearly lost control of the state House in the fall 2017 elections. Polls at the time showed strong support for Medicaid expansion among Virginians.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe result: Many Republicans broke ranks in the state House in 2018. And four Republicans in the Senate did so, voting 23-17 for expansion. As I noted &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.pilotonline.com\/news\/columns\/article_5fa9c566-64db-11e8-89c8-234178a926b1.html&#8221;&gt;in a column that year in The Virginian-Pilot&lt;\/a&gt;, Republicans \u201csurmised the will of the people was finally worth following.\u201d&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThis week, I tried to reach a couple of state senators who opposed expansion, including Tommy Norment, R-James City, who was Senate majority leader in 2018. Had they revised their opinions now that more of their constituents likely had health coverage?&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nMy messages weren\u2019t returned.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nSome &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/research\/health\/affordable-care-act-expansion.aspx&#8221;&gt;38 states and the District of Columbia&lt;\/a&gt; have accepted federal funding to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. The dozen holdouts are primarily in the South, including Alabama, Florida, Texas and Mississippi.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nThe latter is the country\u2019s poorest state, &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/MS,US\/PST045221&#8243;&gt;based on its 18.7&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/MS,US\/PST045221&#8243;&gt;%&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/MS,US\/PST045221&#8243;&gt; poverty rate&lt;\/a&gt;. A private foundation, &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/blog\/2022\/medicaid-expansion-mississippi-whats-stake&#8221;&gt;the Commonwealth Fund&lt;\/a&gt;, contends expansion in Mississippi \u201cis a better fiscal deal than ever before, in addition to significantly increasing insurance coverage.\u201d&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nAs you\u2019d expect, Republicans control the governor\u2019s seat and both chambers of the state legislature.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nIn Virginia, as in the rest of the U.S., annual eligibility reviews of people on Medicaid were suspended during the pandemic. Reviews could resume as soon as October. Once they do, folks could lose coverage if their annual income exceeds limits, though some might have gained health insurance elsewhere.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nWhat we know, for now, is more poor people in Virginia since 2019 have had better health care. They\u2019ve had less stress. They\u2019ve been able to use their precious dollars for other necessities. All because Medicaid was expanded.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nNSS? That should now be obvious \u2013 even to the legislators who opposed changes to Medicaid.&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n&lt;em&gt;&lt;img class=&#8221;alignleft wp-image-130785&#8243; src=&#8221;http:\/\/pulse.ncpolicywatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Roger-Chesley.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;134&#8243; height=&#8221;134&#8243; \/&gt;Veteran journalist Roger Chesley is a commentator for the Virginia Mercury, which &lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.virginiamercury.com\/2022\/08\/04\/medicaid-expansions-positive-ripples-come-as-no-surprise\/&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; rel=&#8221;noopener&#8221;&gt;first published&lt;\/a&gt; this essay.&lt;\/em&gt;<\/textarea><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?<br \/>\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;<br \/>\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=&#8217;2.0&#8242;;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;<br \/>\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,<br \/>\ndocument,&#8217;script&#8217;,&#8217;https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js&#8217;);<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/pulse.ncpolicywatch.org\/2022\/08\/08\/medicaid-expansions-positive-ripples-come-as-no-surprise\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00d7 REPUBLISHING TERMS You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to The Pulse and you must include the author\u2019s name in your republication. If you have any questions, please email [email\u00a0protected] License Creative Commons Attribution [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[45],"tags":[10313,3723,10312,1423,1642,730,886,4377],"class_list":["post-25325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ripple","tag-expansions","tag-impacts","tag-medicaid","tag-positive","tag-significant","tag-surprise","tag-update","tag-virginia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Medicaid-expansion-AdobeStock-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25327,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25325\/revisions\/25327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}