Health News
- Beshear, In D.c., Speaks Bluntly About State's Health Issues And 'rank Politics' That Keeps Some States From Expanding Medicaid
Beshear at the Brookings InsttitutionBy Al Cross Kentucky Health News An interesting thing sometimes happens to governors when they travel to Washington; they speak a little more freely than they do in their states, and that appeared to be the case when...
- Beshear Says Medicaid Expansion Is Creating Thousands Of Health-care Jobs, But Study Will Look At State's Future Costs
Gov. Steve Beshear says the expansion of Medicaid in Kentucky under federal health reform appears to be creating thousands of health-care jobs, as predicted in a study that he used to justify his decision, he said in a special "One to One" on KET Friday,...
- Medicaid Expansion Has Been More Popular Than Expected, But That Raises A Question Of Whether It Will Really Pay For Itself
Kentucky officials say the state?s Medicaid expansion under the federal health-reform law has enrolled more residents and created more jobs than expected, but a study will see whether the expansion will pay for itself, as an earlier study and Gov. Steve...
- Beshear Says He Will Decide In Four To Five Weeks, Or July 1 At The Latest, Whether Or Not To Expand Medicaid
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News This story has been updated. Gov. Steve Beshear said Monday that he will decide within the next four to five weeks, or maybe by July 1, whether to expand the Medicaid program under federal health-care reform. Beshear,...
- Kasich Of Ohio Is Fifth Republican Governor To Accept Medicaid Expansion; He And Others Cite Need To Protect Rural Hospitals, Poor
Several Republican governors have decided to expand Medicaid under federal health-care reform, saying their conservative principles were outweighed by a need to protect their state's rural hospitals and low-income people. Yesterday, the...
Health News
Beshear touts Ky. as example to follow in drug fight, Obamacare
As the U.S. health secretary reminded the national governors' conference that the administration is trying to put another $100 million into fighting drug addiction, Gov. Steve Beshear cited Kentucky as an example for other states to follow on drugs and health reform.
After mentioning the 2012 legislation aimed at abuse of prescription painkillers, Beshear said, "This addiction situation is akin to the game of whack-a-mole. . . . You attack one and another pops up someplace else. . . . Now heroin has raised its ugly head and is killing even more people than prescription drug abuse is."
Beshear cited the anti-heroin legislation passed this year, with expanded drug treatment and locally authorized needle exchanges, he said, "I think we've all figured out that we cannot incarcerate ourselves out of this problem."
Beshear told the governors, meeting in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., that he expects to "hear positive news" this month about efforts against prescription drug abuse in Kentucky.
The Obama administration has asked Congress for an extra $100 million to fight drug addiction. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told the governors that about a third of the funds would go toward "addiction-fighting medications, which have been the cornerstone of the government?s approach to fighting opioid use," Sarah Ferris reports for The Hill. The money would "go to community health centers in 11 states that are on the frontlines of the fight against opioid addictions."
After mentioning the 2012 legislation aimed at abuse of prescription painkillers, Beshear said, "This addiction situation is akin to the game of whack-a-mole. . . . You attack one and another pops up someplace else. . . . Now heroin has raised its ugly head and is killing even more people than prescription drug abuse is."
Beshear cited the anti-heroin legislation passed this year, with expanded drug treatment and locally authorized needle exchanges, he said, "I think we've all figured out that we cannot incarcerate ourselves out of this problem."
Beshear told the governors, meeting in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., that he expects to "hear positive news" this month about efforts against prescription drug abuse in Kentucky.
The Obama administration has asked Congress for an extra $100 million to fight drug addiction. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told the governors that about a third of the funds would go toward "addiction-fighting medications, which have been the cornerstone of the government?s approach to fighting opioid use," Sarah Ferris reports for The Hill. The money would "go to community health centers in 11 states that are on the frontlines of the fight against opioid addictions."
Burwell also advocated expanding eligibility for the federal-state Medicaid program under Obamacare, which 30 states including Kentucky have done but 20 led by Republican governors or legislatures have not.
Beshear said Kentucky's expansion has cut uncompensated care in Kentucky's rural hospitals to 5 percent, from 25 percent, and said many are in the black "for first the time in a long time." Many rural hospitals have said other features of the health-reform law have hurt them, but Beshear said, "From a revenue standpoint having expanded Medicaid has been a boon to our providers.
He also said it has been good for the economy, citing the study by Deloitte Consulting that says the expansion has "already created 12,000 jobs in health care" and will infuse $40 billion into the state's economy through 2021. The job figure appears to be total jobs, not in health care, which accounts for 40 to 45 percent of the total jobs generated, under the model used by Deloitte.
If the next governor continues the expansion, the state will have to start paying a small part of it in 2017. Beshear did not make the usual argument, supported by the study, that the expansion will pay for itself through 2020 by bringing formerly uninsured people into the health-care system and generating jobs and tax revenue.
He did address other arguments, that the federal government "will back away" from the expansion or that the cost will be too great. "You can stop," he said. "I know a lot of legislatures have a problem just because of the name of the act, but if you can get past that kind of politics ... It's gonna cut down on the big costs down the road," through cancer screenings and so on.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who has failed to persuade his Republican-controlled legislature to expand Medicaid, asked his fellow Democrat, "Steve, you want to come up to Virginia for a couple of days? I could use that."
- Beshear, In D.c., Speaks Bluntly About State's Health Issues And 'rank Politics' That Keeps Some States From Expanding Medicaid
Beshear at the Brookings InsttitutionBy Al Cross Kentucky Health News An interesting thing sometimes happens to governors when they travel to Washington; they speak a little more freely than they do in their states, and that appeared to be the case when...
- Beshear Says Medicaid Expansion Is Creating Thousands Of Health-care Jobs, But Study Will Look At State's Future Costs
Gov. Steve Beshear says the expansion of Medicaid in Kentucky under federal health reform appears to be creating thousands of health-care jobs, as predicted in a study that he used to justify his decision, he said in a special "One to One" on KET Friday,...
- Medicaid Expansion Has Been More Popular Than Expected, But That Raises A Question Of Whether It Will Really Pay For Itself
Kentucky officials say the state?s Medicaid expansion under the federal health-reform law has enrolled more residents and created more jobs than expected, but a study will see whether the expansion will pay for itself, as an earlier study and Gov. Steve...
- Beshear Says He Will Decide In Four To Five Weeks, Or July 1 At The Latest, Whether Or Not To Expand Medicaid
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News This story has been updated. Gov. Steve Beshear said Monday that he will decide within the next four to five weeks, or maybe by July 1, whether to expand the Medicaid program under federal health-care reform. Beshear,...
- Kasich Of Ohio Is Fifth Republican Governor To Accept Medicaid Expansion; He And Others Cite Need To Protect Rural Hospitals, Poor
Several Republican governors have decided to expand Medicaid under federal health-care reform, saying their conservative principles were outweighed by a need to protect their state's rural hospitals and low-income people. Yesterday, the...