Proposed federal cuts to Arizona’s Medicaid program will likely have a painful impact on the state’s economy, as well as those who rely on the program.
Will Humble is the executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association. He says the federal government currently covers 90% of the costs of AHCCCS, Arizona's Medicaid program, and any potential cuts would hurt rural communities.
"The results here would be really challenging for our rural hospitals. Some would probably go away. 550,000 would lose their Medicaid health insurance, that’s AHCCCS," Humble said.
Humble says those cuts won't just affect those on AHCCCS.
It would cause an increase in health care premiums for private sector plans, not just economic losses for hospitals, but increased premiums for private health insurance
A recent economic analysis prepared for the Arizona Chamber Foundation looked at multiple spending reduction scenarios. Depending on how deep those cuts are, the state could lose upwards of 300,000 jobs across multiple sectors.
