Medicaid enrollment grows even in states that have not embraced expansion.

The New York Times (8/12, Sanger-Katz, Subscription Publication) reports that “even in states that haven’t changed their Medicaid programs, nearly a million people signed up for Medicaid this year.” Health experts say that the “reason is a phenomenon” called the “welcome mat effect” or “woodwork effect,” the idea that people “who were always eligible for the program have finally decided to sign up.”

Kansas is an example of one such state in which this has happened, and the Wichita (KS) Eagle (8/12, Lowry) reports that the state saw a “7 percent increase in Medicaid enrollment between June 2013 and June 2014” according to an HHS study. Additionally, “Georgia saw an increase of 16 percent and Montana saw a nearly 10 percent increase.”

Article from the AMA Morning Rounds, 8/12/14.