An overview of the ObamaCare dependency crisis
Lured by the false promise of free money, states across the country that chose to expand Medicaid to able-bodied adults through ObamaCare are now paying the price. As a result of a 2012 Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, states were given the option to expand their Medicaid programs to a new class of able-bodied, working-age adults. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia took the bait.
Although the federal government promised to cover all of the initial costs of expansion, states began paying a share of those costs in 2017, with that share growing over time. Given that one out of every three dollars in state budgets already goes to Medicaid, these additional costs are like gasoline on an already out-of-control wildfire. Unless states change course, the pain will only worsen.
Even more troubling, states that have expanded Medicaid are signing up far more able-bodied adults than expected. This means states are not only having to deal with higher costs, but they are scrambling to find funds for more than twice as many adults as anticipated.
