Wednesday, February 23, 2011

AZ Senate Committe Votes to Kill Medicaid

An Arizona Senate Committee has voted to eliminate the state’s Medicaid program. The bill would replace it with a much smaller system for only a fraction of low income people now served.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 8 to 5 to drop the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. Supporters say it is financially unsustainable.

The program currently serves about 1.3 million people, or about 1 in 5 Arizonans. A proposed replacement would serve less than 10% of that.

KOLD reports that dropping Medicaid would cost the state about $7.5 billion in federal funding.

Opponants say the funding loss would devastate the health care system and close hospitals, especially in rural areas.

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