Brown: Medi-Cal expansion could hit California Budget

Mercurynews.com
Expanding the state's Medi-Cal program to meet new federal guidelines could add up to $4 billion a year in costs at the same time California is implementing federal health reform, potentially putting its budget "right out of whack," Gov. Jerry Brown said Thursday. In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Brown said his administration is seeking federal waivers for some of the proposed expansions to California's health care program for the poor. The changes could add more than a million people to the 7.7 million already served under the state's version of Medicaid. "We're very interested in seeing everyone -- as many people as possible -- covered, but I am very concerned that negotiations in Washington could have huge negative impacts in California by loading billions of dollars of new and unexpected costs that will just take our budget and put it right out of whack," the Democratic governor said. Supporters of the expansion said the $4 billion figure was grossly inflated.
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