Cliff Barnes, a Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the Washington, DC, was quoted in an article titled "Cost Drive Medicaid's Reality."
Following is an excerpt:
As the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) edge closer to reality, the Medicaid program faces unprecedented change, with day-to-day challenges as well as longer term issues such as access, outcome and payment mechanisms. ...
Managed care organizations and providers have developed robust forecasting and care model's for Medicaid's current population — generally moms, kids and the elderly — but the infusion of childless adults into the program will force a recalculation, says Barnes.
"There is a lot of reticence among states to expand because of cost," said Barnes.
For example, he says, AIDS and other diseases cost a great deal of money to treat, and such patients frequently end up on Medicaid.