Virginia facing high unexpected Medicaid costs

WAPO AP ^ | 11-2-18 | Alan Suderman | AP

[spintreebob]

Virginia is facing a huge bill for unexpected Medicaid costs that hamper proposed new spending on things like school improvements or tax breaks for the poor.

State officials said Friday that Virginia has about $460 million in unforeseen Medicaid costs.

The new costs, first reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, are unrelated to Virginia’s recent decision to expand Medicaid eligibility to low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act.

Instead, Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne said much of the new costs stem from faulty forecasts overestimating the benefits of having private health insurers cover a greater number of some of the state’s more costly Medicaid recipients. Another reason for the increase is a higher-than-expected enrollment of children in the state’s Medicaid program, he said.

[mewzilla]

Unexpected.

SNORT.