The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center noted that there has been increasing bipartisan agreement about the expansion of Medicaid in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Most recently, two Republicans, the Governors of Arizona and North Dakota, have opted-in to the expansion. As of January 22, 2013, there are 14 states that have decided to expand Medicaid in 2014 and 7 others leaning toward expansion. But, Pennsylvania remains one of 21 undecided states.

Governor Corbett is scheduled to give his budget address on February 5th and it is important that he considers, like the Governor of Arizona, the many advantages of opting-in, including job creation, economic advantages, and overall improved quality of health for working parents, veterans, and seniors. “For Pennsylvania, the expansion of Medicaid is projected to bring in $17 billion in new federal investments by 2019, while expanding coverage to between 482,000 and 683,000 uninsured adults.”

• Visit the Law Center’s Healthcare page to learn more about the Right-to-Know request regarding the costs and benefits of expansion.
• Read the full article posted by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center here.