SAN FRANCISCO — Hopes that additional states will expand their Medicaid programs are dimming under GOP leadership, a leading Medicaid insurer admitted Wednesday.
Last year “was a great year for Wellcare, but this no longer matters as we sit here in the second week of 2017,” said Wellcare Chief Financial Officer Drew Asher, speaking at the JPMorgan Healthcare Investor Conference.
As Republicans discuss repealing big parts of Obamacare, the future is uncertain for insurers such as Wellcare, a company that sells Medicaid plans in 11 states. And some states that had been toying with the idea of expanding their Medicaid programs are stepping back amid the uncertainty in Washington.
Ken Burdick, Wellcare’s chief executive, offered an example: Kansas had been cautiously pursuing Medicaid expansion but late last month told insurers it wouldn’t be requesting proposals yet.
“We received notice two or three weeks ago that they want to get a lay of the land,” Burdick said.
But Burdick, like many other health executives here, also expressed hope that Republicans won’t abruptly cut off Affordable Care Act benefits.
“Increasingly what you’re seeing, and what we’re hearing, is it’s less likely there’s going to be dramatic cutting off of those added to the Medicaid rolls,” Burdick said.
