Hospital Pay for Uninsured Under Medicaid at Risk in Some States

Federal funds to cover the cost of hospital care for the uninsured could end up on the chopping block in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid eligibility to include low-income adults.

Several of the largest states that haven’t expanded Medicaid—including Texas, Florida, and Tennessee—operate uncompensated care pools in their Medicaid programs that direct funds to hospitals to help cover the cost of care for the uninsured.

The amounts are significant—over $3 billion each year in Texas, $1.5 billion in Florida, and $630 million in Tennessee, according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center.

But those funds—or at least a portion ...