CBO predicts less Medicaid participation due to Supreme Court ruling

The Congressional Budget Office said the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's provision to expand Medicaid will reduce U.S. government spending by about $84 billion between 2012-22. CBO estimates about 6 million fewer people will be covered by Medicaid now than if the Court had not ruled against the expansion.

The provision requires state Medicaid programs to cover individuals with income of up to 133% of the federal poverty level. Under the original law, states that did not comply with the expansion would have been denied all federal Medicaid funds, including those not associated with the expansion. CBO said states will now be able choose whether or not to expand eligibility for coverage without penalty. ...