On the day after President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders pulled a bill that would have been a first step in fixing an ailing Obamacare health care program, Medicaid budgets are growing astronomically. In fact, a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that in 24 states, 50 percent of all babies’ births are paid for by Medicaid.
According to the report, there were even eight states where 60 percent of new births were paid for by Medicaid. They included: Louisiana; Arkansas; Nevada; Mississippi; New Mexico; Oklahoma; West Virginia and South Carolina.
States where Medicaid births rank highest
Three states sharing a border with Mexico came in with the highest number of births being paid for by Medicaid, with New Mexico coming in first with 72 percent of its newborns' births being funded by Medicaid. Arkansas came in second with 67 percent, while Louisiana took third place with 65 percent. Meanwhile, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Mississippi tied for fourth place with 64 percent.
At just 27 percent, New Hampshire had the least number of new births being paid for by Medicaid in the United States. In larger states such as Florida, California, and Illinois, one-half of new births were paid for by Medicaid. However, in states like Utah and Virginia, only 31 percent of new births were funded by Medicaid.
Obamacare spurring Medicaid growth
Medicaid growth under Obamacare has been epoch, skyrocketing to more than $552 billion in 2015, according to Kaiser. This is happening in part because lower-income and middle-class individuals and families can no longer afford the premiums being offered by the few private companies that haven’t pulled out of the Obamacare scheme.
Moreover, even when the premiums under these plans are affordable, their deductibles, as high as $10,000 or more, make them impractical and unpopular among the uninsured.
This somber unintended consequence of Obamacare has spurred a migration of individuals and families from regular health insurance plans to state Medicare programs.
This has caused many states to cry for federal help, despite the country's gargantuan $1-trillion budget deficit. So, when Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress failed to pass legislation to address such looming cost issues like an ever-expanding Medicaid, Democrats – by default – will now be charged with crafting a solution to a healthcare program teetering on bankruptcy.
