In many states where Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act and health reform, it was shown that low-income adults were more likely to go see a doctor, stay overnight in a hospital, and receive their first diagnoses of diabetes and high cholesterol.

In Arkansas, about 179 clinics are enrolled in a similar program that was created by the state Medicaid program in 2014, with the help of a $42 million grant from the innovation center. The Medicaid program contributes payments associated with 330,000 patients under the program, also known as the state’s patient-centered medical home initiative.

In many states where Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act and health reform, it was shown that low-income adults were more likely to go see a doctor, stay overnight in a hospital, and receive their first diagnoses of diabetes and high cholesterol. Photo credit: Show-me Institute
In many states where Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act and health reform, it was shown that low-income adults were more likely to go see a doctor, stay overnight in a hospital, and receive their first diagnoses of diabetes and high cholesterol. Photo credit: Show-me Institute

But why Arkansas? Back in 2013, a group of Arkansas Republican legislators along with Gov. Mike Beebe’s administration said that, by the use of that money, they will purchase private health insurance instead of expanding Medicaid. The Obama administration actually agreed to this, and then it was created the “private option” in this state.

Actually, in the United States, about 34 percent of the citizens were covered by public programs from back in 2013, where Medicare and Medicaid programs were included, but now, more specifically in Arkansas, paying doctors to coordinate better care for Medicare beneficiaries – and also in seven other states – has helped to hold down the cost of patients’ medical care over a two-year period, although the savings didn’t fully offset the cost of the extra payments.

Arkansas volunteers for a health reform

Arkansas has offered itself up as “guinea pig” in this so-called experiment, to see if the premium assistance health care model works out. A number of other states have followed the initiative that Arkansas’ lead and they had tried their own experiments, but during hearings this past year, Arkansas legislators have heard about some of those results that could lead to changes in there.

An electoral issue?

One of the first issues that Senator Bernie Sanders wants to help with is the health care system, no matter what happens on the Democratic presidential nomination, since he wants to “fill-up” the loops on the ObamaCare service, along with the creation of tiny existing insurance arrangements, putting in their place a new universal insurance program that the federal government would be administrating, where it would be really alike to “Medicare for all”.

Also, Sanders has stated that “This is an ongoing process. Health care isn’t going to be reformed. It’s going to be reforming, always. It must be”

Source: Los Angeles Times