Who Pays When Washington Stops Paying
Four thousand five hundred Marylanders have already lost their Medicaid. That's the count so far — lawfully present immigrants, cut off October 1 when the federal eligibility rollback hit. It is the smallest number in this story.
On January 1, about 320,000 adults on ACA expansion start facing work requirements and twice-a-year renewals, and the Health Department's current projection is that up to 152,000 of them lose coverage by the middle of 2028. When the federal money fully phases out, Maryland stands to lose about $2.7 billion a year.
And all of this is landing on hospitals — nineteen of forty-two already losing money, by their own association's count — in a state staring at a $2.5 billion budget shortfall. Somebody is going to walk into Annapolis in January and ask for money. This is the fight that's coming, and here's how it's shaped.
[PAYWALL — free lede ends here]
