Dr Joe Thompson on the Arkansas "Private Option" Medicaid Expansion

With a Republican House and Senate and a Democrat governor, Arkansas had a difficult time passing Medicaid expansion legislation, explained Joe Thompson, MD, former state surgeon general.

However, Medicaid expansion played into a much broader system-wide transformation. Dr Thompson added that the state recognized that the healthcare system was changing, and the insurance financing mechanism needed to change too.

“The Affordable Care Act is a disruptive act,” he said. “Disruption is neither good nor bad, it’s what you do with it that makes a difference.”