Corbett Raises Issue of Private Medicaid Plans

Gov. Tom Corbett is suggesting that he's interested in a concept that combines an expansion of Medicaid eligibility for low-income families by using the federal dollars to buy private insurance plans.

Corbett said Wednesday he's seeking information about the idea, a day after meeting with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

It was first broached by Arkansas' Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe as a way to get his Republican-controlled Legislature on board with a Medicaid expansion under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Other governors, including Kansas's Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, are studying it.

An expansion of Medicaid eligibility could mean health insurance for hundreds of thousands of uninsured Pennsylvanians.

Corbett, a Republican, says he isn't supporting the Medicaid expansion without substantial changes because he's worried about the long-term cost.