A new study says Obamacare will cost the State of Wyoming $50 million between 2014 and 2019, according to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY). Plus, details on the report show that Montana stands to lose $175 million during the same time frame. Montana’s Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) has also estimated that the federal health care bill could end up costing the State upwards of $300 million. (Listen to interview with Gov. Schweitzer below)
The study, Medicaid Expansion in the New Health Law: Costs to the States, predicts the law will cost taxpayers at least $118 billion in the next 11 years. This figure doubles the Congressional Budget Office’s recent estimate of the taxpayer burden befalling states due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Enzi had this to say in a prepared release:
“States, unlike the federal government, can’t print money. Wyoming takes balancing its budget very seriously and this would drop a grenade on the carefully put together plans of Wyoming’s governor and the state legislature. This is yet another unintended consequence of the health care law and another reason Congress needs to pass a health care bill that will actually help bring health care costs down for states and patients,” said Enzi.
The study was put together by Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee and Fred Upton, R-Mich., Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The study provides a comprehensive overview of state government estimates for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the impact on Medicaid programs in the states.
Montana’s Share of the Burden? $175.2 million (SFY2014-2019).
That number is apparently based on this report: Montana and Major Components of Federal Healthcare Reform. Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. April 19, 2010. Available online at
http://www.statereforum.org/images/Docs/fiscal_analysis/mtmedicaidestimates.pdf.
Find full report here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/media/file/PDFs/030111MedicaidReport.pdf
Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) essentially echoed the numbers raised in this new report. During our statewide radio talk show “Voices of Montana” back on Feb. 17th, the state’s Democratic Governor said “this health care bill that they passed in Washington, DC was an overreach” that will increase the cost to Montana by more than $300 million to our budget in Montana.
Click below to listen to his remarks, following a colorful remark from one of our show’s regular listeners: “Velma in Kalispell”. Hint: the Gov says he won’t be grabbing his ankles.
Click to Listen