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How An Experiment In Oregon Is Impacting N.H.'s Medicaid Expansion Decision

One of the biggest and most contentious issues of this spring’s budgeting process remains whether or not the state should expand Medicaid. When the Supreme Court ruled last summer on the Affordable Care Act, it said the Federal government can’t force states to expand. Instead, states must be given a choice about growing the health care program for the poor.

Governor Hassan and the Democratically controlled House favor expansion, and the House included it in its proposed spending plan.

But last week, top budget writers in the GOP-led Senate voted against expansion, and Senate President Peter Bragdon pointed to Oregon as a reason why.

“Medicaid expansion that was studied in Oregon had basically a 35% increase in the cost of health services to the population, but yet no in increase in health outcomes. And so, to me, that all raises concerns.”

Bragdon was citing research published earlier this month in the New England Journal of Medicine.

NHPR’s Health Reporter Todd Bookman sits down with Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley to explain the so-called Oregon Experiment, and what lessons New Hampshire can learn from the project.

You can read the NEJM article by clicking here.

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
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