Where do governors stand on the expansion of Medicaid?

The one part of the Affordable Care Act that was struck down was the automatic expansion of state's Medicaid or being penalized by the government. Healthwatch recently profiled where state governors stood on the matter. There have been seven Republican governors that have said no: Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Many of those governors, in addition to the eight who seem unlikely to expand, believe it will cause significant distress to their states budgets. In the original form of the Affordable Care Act, the government would have subsidized the expansion of Medicaid for several years. The states that have confirmed they will expand Medicaid are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

This expansion - or lack thereof - has a direct impact on pharmaceutical manufacturers' bottom lines. The number of people who will be added to the Medicaid program will significantly impact the rebates and reimbursement sector. At the 17th Annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Summit, not only will the leaders from the major pharmaceutical manufacturers be in attendance to discuss how they are anticipating the expansion, but many states, including Florida, Illinois, Oregon and and North Carolina will be on hand for face to face discussions.  For more information on the program, download the agenda.  If you'd like to join us in Chicago September 10-12, 2012 in Chicago, as a reader of this blog when you register and mention code XP1725BLOG, you'll save 25% off the standard rate.