Today’s report on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion confirms what we have known from the start: The federal health care dollars Louisiana captured by extending coverage to the working poor support jobs and economic activity in every corner of the state.
“This study should be required reading for every Louisiana legislator as they confront our fiscal crisis. It proves that expanding Medicaid has helped our economy and the state budget and was the right decision all along,” LBP Executive Director Jan Moller said.
The facts are clear:
- Medicaid expansion has created and retained more than 19,000 jobs since mid-2016.
- The expansion has more than paid for itself when you count the tax receipts from people whose jobs are tied to the increased coverage.
- The $1.85 billion in federal funding made available by expansion has decreased Louisiana’s reliance on state general fund dollars to provide health care for low-income adults.
The most important benefit from Medicaid expansion is the health coverage that lets nearly 500,000 Louisiana adults sleep securely at night, knowing that if they get sick they will have access to the doctors and medicine they need without going bankrupt.
But health coverage expansion is also important for our economy. This report is a reminder that federal health care dollars don’t fall into a black hole. They help pay the salaries of nurses, physicians, pharmacists and therapists – and the services they provide help make our entire workforce better prepared for the challenges of a 21st century economy.
