Reuters interviewed Manatt's Deborah Bachrach, a partner in the firm's Healthcare division, for an article on the momentum that is building around Medicaid expansion among initially reluctant states.
Reuters reports that up to a dozen states, including several led by Republicans, could move forward with plans to expand coverage under Medicaid after the November elections. They take their cue from states such as Pennsylvania, whose deal with Washington proved that the Obama administration is willing to accept tweaks that give the private sector a greater role in providing healthcare and place new responsibilities on beneficiaries.
"Pennsylvania's the leading edge of what could be a new wave of expanding states," said Bachrach.
"This would marginalize the non-expansion states to the considerable detriment of their citizens and put pressure on those who oppose expansion," she said.