Governor Beshear's announcement that he’ll expand Medicaid in Kentucky included release of a report showing that expansion will result in a net savings of $802 million to the state budget over the next eight years. The report also demonstrates that not expanding Medicaid would cost the state $39 million over that same period.
But how can expanding health insurance to 308,000 Kentuckians save money in the budget, and how can not doing so increase costs? Here's how.