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Pros And Cons Of An Expanded Medicaid Program

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http://media.soundmedicine.org/segments/040713_5.mp3

Sound Medicine’s health policy expert, Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., discusses the pros and cons of the upcoming Medicaid expansion. Last June the Supreme Court ruled that state’s participation is Medicaid expansion is optional, but if they choose not to participate they will lose all federal funding for the uninsured. So what does Medicaid expansion entail? According to Dr. Carroll, Medicaid will transition from being a program that covers only poor women, children, the elderly, and disabled, to being a program that covers the majority of people that fall under the poverty line. Most states have decided to accept Medicaid expansion to fund their costs of caring for the poor, but there are a few states that have not decided. Dr. Carroll is an associate professor of pediatrics and the associate director of Children’s Health Services Research at Indiana University School of Medicine. He is also the director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research.