With my ears still ringing from July 4 fireworks, I was drawn to the handy infographic mapping out states’ positions on expanding their Medicaid programs for low-income residents to comply with the Affordable Care Act.
With the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Medicaid mandate was changed to require states to agree to expand their Medicaid programs or face cuts to new Medicaid funding from the federal government. So states can choose to opt out.
Developed by American Health Line/Advisory Board Co., the map was compiled from coverage of state officials’ indicating their position on the issue. It runs the gamut of participating, not participating, leaning toward one or the other, or what boils down to a no comment. For example, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said his state is participating. On the other hand, New Jersey expanded Medicare eligibility in March 2011, so Gov. Chris Christie has indicated the state probably won’t be raising the eligibility limit further.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The tensions between states vs. federal rights has long been a hot topic in this country and one that never ceased to amaze my international visitors.
Although budgetary issues will be a factor, upcoming elections are also likely to influence the policy debates within each state. Hopefully, it will continue to be updated, particularly with an eye to the upcoming elections and any changes produced by them to the current political landscape.
