Arizona Medicaid Enrollment Surging as Economic Recession Continues
Enrollment in Arizona's Medicaid program increased by 11%, or by 102,000 beneficiaries, from April 2008 to April 2009, according to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the AP/Tuscon Citizen reports. The agency's budget administrator, Jeffrey Tegen, in a memo distributed this week to Gov. Jan Brewer's (R) budget staff and the state Legislature wrote that the increase could be attributed in large part to "the economic downturn and subsequent job losses." The memo states that the increase will require $253 million in additional spending for fiscal year 2010, which begins on July 1 (AP/Tucson Citizen, 5/7).
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