Health Care Law’s Projected Cost Drops
The 10-year cost forecast dropped for a number of reasons, an official said. Photo courtesy Images Money at flickr.com/59937401@N07/It looks like the cost for full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Texas may be lower than first anticipated.
Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs says full implementation of the ACA would cost the state about $16 billion over 10 years. That’s down from the agency’s estimate a couple of years ago of $26 billion.
Suehs gave members of the House Appropriations Committee several reasons this morning for the lower estimate, including expecting fewer people to sign up, program cost inflation remaining flat, and other government health care funding remaining constant over the 10 years.
Suehs says the lower estimate does nothing to change his position that the state should not expand Medicaid under the federal program.
