The assignment is PROPOSAL, is a very short document ( no more than tow pages), describing a policy issue currently under consideration by the USA federal, state, or local government. It must be of...

Health Care Reform Debate: Expansion of Medicaid and Impact on State Budgets
Health care reform is a much debated issue in the United States today. But what cannot be debated upon
is the fact that USA spends more on health care than any other country, without getting uniformly better
health outcomes. Despite huge spending in health care, increasing number of uninsured in the US is a
major social problem. Nearly 48 million US non-elderly populations (including children and adults) were
uninsured in 2008. Lack of health insurance coverage could lead to serious future consequences as
uninsured individuals or families are less likely to use health services, thereby leading to overall poor
health of the nation. The number of uninsured has increased over the years perhaps due to lack of
employer-sponsored coverage, despite increase in public coverage. Escalating health care cost is also a
drag on the economy as spending on more productive sectors (such as education, renewable energy) is
compromised.
According to a US census Bureau report on income, poverty, and health insurance, the number of
uninsured Americans declined from 16.3% in 2010 to 15.7% in 2011 after the reform laws under the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. Enrollment in Medicaid, the public
health program for the poor, also rose from 48.5 million to 50.8 million between 2010 and 2011 amid a
sluggish economy. However, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO, 2012) the reform is
also expected to increase government spending on health care from 25% of the federal budget today to as
high as 40% of the federal budget in 2037. Federal budget on Medicaid and Medicare is also...