Medicaid Expansion: A Webinar on Early Analysis of Budget Savings and Revenue Gains

A new issue brief by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health Reform Assistance Network (State Network) summarizes early data from Medicaid expansion states that demonstrate consistent economic benefits, including budget savings and revenue gains. Data from eight states—Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia—show $1.8 billion in budget savings by the end of 2015 as a result of Medicaid expansion.

On Thursday, April 16 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET, SCI and the State Network hosted a webinar to review the three major categories where states found savings and increased revenues: reduced state spending on programs and services for the uninsured; savings related to transitioning Medicaid beneficiaries in pre-ACA categories to the new adult group under expansion; and revenue gains from existing insurer or provider taxes. It also provided information on specific expansion-related savings opportunities and how state officials might evaluate them in their respective states.