Fed Tries Help States on Healthcare Costs

President Barack Obama hopes to help states dealing with budgetary problems coming from his 2010 law to expand healthcare costs as well as increasing healthcare costs. While recently meeting with governors in the National Governors Association, President Obama shared that beginning in 2014, he supports a move to allow states to design their own healthcare systems (with waivers from provisions of his 2010 Affordable Care Act). This would be applicable as long as those state systems meet the laws goals. Under existing law, state waivers wouldn’t be allowed until 2017.
During the meeting, President Obama shared, "It will give you flexibility more quickly while still guaranteeing the American people reform. If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does - without increasing the deficit - you can implement that plan. And we'll work with you to do it."
The president also promised to work with governors to find ways to decrease Medicaid costs without hurting services for people who need it. The president said, "If you can come up with more ways to reduce Medicaid costs while still providing quality care to those who need it, I will support those proposals as well." Both Democratic and Republican governors are looking for help in reducing the costs of Medicaid, whose expenses are shared between federal and state governments.
The president also shared, "I believe that everybody should be prepared to give up something in order to solve our budget challenges" but that "I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon."
President Obama’s healthcare law is facing legal challenges from at least 27 states.
Modern Business Associates is an HR company that focuses on payroll and HR outsourcing. We routinely work with clients on healthcare benefits. As a Professional Payroll and HR outsource organization, our clients rely on us to help them effectively deal with these kinds of topics.