The NCMS provided information last year regarding the financial impact of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion in North Carolina (read “Expanding Role of Medicaid, Bulletin, 8-20-10). This week we’d like to update those numbers to provide a clearer sense of the budgetary impacts of the Medicaid expansion to occur between the years of 2014 and 2019.
- New NC Medicaid Enrollees by 2019: 633,485 – 877,560 depending on outreach efforts of state and federal government.
- Previously uninsured, newly enrolled in Medicaid by 2019: 429,272 – 661,292 depending on outreach efforts of state and federal government. Costing state $811 million – $932 million.
- Total State expenditures on expansion: $ 1 billion – $1.8 billion.
Source: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Changes have been implemented in the Medicaid program in 2011:
- States will now have the option to permit certain Medicaid enrollees to designate a provider as their health home. States will receive 90% FMAP for 2 years for these services.
- Health and Human Services can begin providing 3 year grants to states to develop chronic disease prevention programs under Medicaid.
- Prohibition on federal payments to states for Medicaid services related to certain hospital-acquired infections.
- State balancing incentive program created to provide enhanced FMAP payments for non-institutionally based long-term care services.
Be watching for more updates, particularly on state funding for Medicaid. When the General Assembly convenes next week, legislators are expected to take a close look at spending in order to address a multi-billion dollar shortfall. Medicaid and education make up the largest portion of the state budget.
