skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Second federal judge orders temporary reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees fired by the Trump administration; U.S., Canada political tension could affect Maine summer tourism; Report: Incarceration rates rise in MS, U.S. despite efforts at reform; MI study: HBCU students show better mental health, despite challenges.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration faces legal battles on birthright citizenship; the arrest of a Palestinian activist sparks protests over free speech. Conservationists voice concerns about federal job cuts impacting public lands, and Ohio invests in child wellness initiatives.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

Arkansas Seeing Benefits of Medicaid Expansion

play audio
Play

Friday, June 10, 2016   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A health care system in Arkansas and Missouri is an example of the difference between states that have expanded Medicaid and those that have not.

Lawmakers in Missouri have not approved a comprehensive expansion plan, but Arkansas has. That failure to expand is leaving a big dent in budgets of hospitals in some communities, according to a new report by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

Paul Taylor, CEO of the Ozarks Community Hospital system, says Arkansas expanded Medicaid in 2014 and the percentage of uninsured patients being treated has dropped to below 10, but in Missouri the number has increased to between 40 and 45 percent in some emergency rooms

"If we hadn't reduced our payroll in Missouri, we were jeopardizing the entire system, so we shrank operations and reduced the services we were providing in the hospital and we laid off a bunch of folks," says Taylor.

The latest national Gallup poll on health coverage says seven of the 10 states that have done the best jobs of getting more people insured have expanded their Medicaid programs.

Jack Hoadley, co-author of the Georgetown University report, says states that have expanded Medicaid have seen major reductions in the amount of uncompensated care delivered by safety-net institutions.

"This is the kind of ripple effect," says Hoadley. "It's not just the patient now comes in and gets a service, or now comes in and is able to pay for the service as opposed to receiving charity care, but the dollars that are saved, or the dollars that are brought in to these institutions, really are used in ways that really fundamentally change the way care is delivered."

Taylor calls the Ozarks Community Hospital system a "living experiment" when it comes to the expansion of Medicaid.

"If it weren't for the positive operating margin we're experiencing in Arkansas, the entire system would be out of business," he says. "The positive operating margin we're experiencing in Arkansas, we're using to subsidize the Missouri operation so we can continue in business."

The report also says health care facilities in Medicaid-expansion states also see growth in new programs, such as expanding access to specialists improving care for all patients, particularly in rural areas.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to Wisconsin's Judicial Code of Conduct, judges are not required to recuse themselves based on an endorsement or campaign contributions. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Early voting for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race starts next week and, although the seat is technically nonpartisan, both candidates have clear …


Environment

play sound

As the warming climate continues to reshape the environment, its impact on people's health is becoming increasingly evident in Florida. Doctors and …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Maryland is facing a $3 billion budget deficit, and planned cuts in 2026 would include millions in disability assistance. But one advocate says those …


A rally for property tax cuts is set for Monday at the Indiana Statehouse. Organizers have encouraged attendees to wear green to signal their opposition to high property taxes. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers introduced a third property tax plan this week, aiming to protect local governments from funding cuts while offering minimal relief …

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly half of Americans age 50 and older are using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses, according to a new AARP survey, and a Minnesota …

Expanded oil and gas subsidies, included in current versions of upcoming federal tax legislation, would support a massive expansion of LNG projects to more than double national export capacity by 2030. (Jeeraphun/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Forty religious leaders from different denominations gathered in Texas this week to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of related …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that Black students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Blac…

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club's Utah chapter said electric utility PacifiCorp's long-term plan to embrace renewable energy has changed and is now placing more relia…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021