Governor Proposes Dropping 280,000 from Medicaid Coverage

Governor Jan Brewer says that the state has no choice but to drop Medicaid health care coverage for about 280,000 low income adults. This would be done by lowering eligibility standards to federal minimums. Brewer says the alternative would be to cut programs and services even further, or risk losing the entire Medicaid program.

KTAR in Phoenix reports that reducing the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System’s enrollment would save more than $560 billion. The plan would need both authorization from the Legislature as well as the Obama administration.

Brewer’s proposed Medicaid cutback would roll back much of the enrollment increase authorized by voters ten years ago.