Deborah Bachrach, a partner in Manatt Health, spoke to the Birmingham Business Journal about potential expansion of Alabama’s Medicaid program.
The Alabama Hospital Association laid out a case for Medicaid expansion last week in two separate reports, defying state lawmakers who have said such expansion is unnecessary.
Lack of Medicaid expansion has caused significant challenges for Alabama hospitals, the reports said, and the state has also seen a rise in uninsured patients as well as the closure of several rural hospitals.
A report by Manatt asserted that Medicaid expansion would help struggling rural healthcare providers and would reduce uncompensated care costs.
Bachrach said that expansion would significantly benefit the state of Alabama.
“We predict Alabama could free up almost $60 million the first year of expansion, with an increasing amount each year … dollars that could be reinvested to help maintain the state’s healthcare delivery system,” Bachrach said.
Read the article here.