Gov. Tom Corbett met with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday night to discuss, among other things, potential Medicaid expansion in the state.
Expanding Medicaid, the federal-state medical assistance program, would cover thousands more people in Pennsylvania. Part of the Affordable Care Act, governors have the option to decide if they will expand coverage in their states.
Corbett has said he won't because he doesn't think the state can sustain the costs of the program over time.
"We had a meaningful discussion around increasing access to affordable, quality health care in a way that would lessen the burden on the state's taxpayers in the long-term," Corbett said in a statement released Wednesday.
The meeting was held to address questions and issues surrounding the Medicaid expansion and the implementation of a federally-run health exchange in Pennsylvania.
Corbett said no further decisions will be made at this time.
Corbett asked about using the private market insurance to expand coverage in Pennsylvania, similar to what Arkansas and Tennessee are doing, as well as reforming Pennsylvania's Medicaid program.
