RICHMOND — With Donald Trump’s return to the White House and Republicans taking full control of Congress in 2025, the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion is back on the chopping block. More than 3 million adults in nine states would be at immediate risk of losing their health coverage should the GOP reduce the extra federal Medicaid funding that’s enabled states to widen eligibility, according to KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News, and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. That’s because the states have trigger laws that would swiftly end their Medicaid expansions if federal funding falls. The states are Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia. The 2010 Affordable Care Act encouraged states to expand Medicaid programs to cover more low-income Americans who didn’t get health insurance through their jobs. Forty states and the District of Columbia agreed, extending health insurance since 2014 to an estimated 21 million people and helping drive the U.S. uninsured rate to record lows. In exchange, the federal government pays 90% of the cost to cover the expanded population. That’s far higher than the federal match for other Medicaid beneficiaries, which averages about 57% nationwide. Conservative policy groups, which generally have opposed the ACA, say the program costs too much and covers too many people. Democrats say the Medicaid expansion has saved lives and helped communities by widening coverage to people who could not afford private insurance. If Congress cuts federal funding, Medicaid expansion would be at risk in all states that have opted into it — even those without trigger laws — because state legislatures would be forced to make up the difference, said Renuka Tipirneni, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. Decisions to keep or roll back the expansion “would depend on the politics at the state level,” Tipirneni said. For instance, Michigan approved a trigger as part of its Medicaid expansion in 2013, when it was controlled by a Republican governor and legislature. Last year, with the government controlled by Democrats, the state eliminated its funding trigger. Six of the nine states with trigger laws — Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, and Utah — went for Trump in the 2024 election. Most of the nine states’ triggers kick in if federal funding falls below the 90% threshold. Arizona’s trigger would eliminate its expansion if funding falls below 80%. Montana’s law rolls back expansion below 90% funding but allows it to continue if lawmakers identify additional funding. Under state law, Montana lawmakers must reauthorize its Medicaid expansion in 2025 or the expansion will end. Across the states with triggers, between 3.1 million and 3.7 million people would swiftly lose their coverage, researchers at KFF and the Georgetown center estimate. The difference depends on how states treat people who were added to Medicaid before the ACA expansion; they may continue to qualify even if the expansion ends. Three other states — Iowa, Idaho, and New Mexico— have laws that require their governments to mitigate the financial impact of losing federal Medicaid expansion funding but would not automatically end expansions. With those three states included, about 4.3 million Medicaid expansion enrollees would be at risk of losing coverage, according to KFF. The ACA allowed Medicaid expansions to adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or about $20,783 for an individual in 2024. Nearly a quarter of the 81 million people enrolled in Medicaid nationally are in the program due to expansions. “With a reduction in the expansion match rate, it is likely that all states would need to evaluate whether to continue expansion coverage because it would require a significant increase in state spending,” said Robin Rudowitz, vice president and director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at KFF. “If states drop coverage, it is likely that there would be an increase in the number of uninsured, and that would limit access to care across red and blue states that have adopted expansion.” States rarely cut eligibility for social programs such as Medicaid once it’s been granted. The triggers make it politically easier for state lawmakers to end Medicaid expansion because they would not have to take any new action to cut coverage, said Edwin Park, a research professor at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. To see the impact of trigger laws, consider what happened after the Supreme Court in 2022 struck down Roe v. Wade and, with it, the constitutional right to an abortion. Conservative lawmakers in 13 states had crafted trigger laws that would automatically implement bans in the event a national right to abortion were struck down. Those state laws resulted in restrictions taking effect immediately after the court ruling, or shortly thereafter. States adopted triggers as part of Medicaid expansion to win over lawmakers skeptical of putting state dollars on the hook for a federal program unpopular with most Republicans. It’s unclear what Trump and congressional Republicans will do with Medicaid after he takes office in January, but one indicator could be a recent recommendation from the Paragon Health Institute, a leading conservative policy organization led by former Trump health adviser Brian Blase. Paragon has proposed that starting in 2026 the federal government would phase down the 90% federal match for expansion until 2034, when it would reach parity with each state’s federal match for its traditional enrollees. Under that plan, states could still get ACA Medicaid expansion funding but restrict coverage to enrollees with incomes up to the federal poverty level. Currently, to receive expansion funding, states must offer coverage to everyone up to 138% of the poverty level. Daniel Derksen, director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona, said it’s unlikely Arizona would move to eliminate its trigger and make up for lost federal funds. “It would be a tough sell right now as it would put a big strain on the budget,” he said. Medicaid has been in the crosshairs of Republicans in Washington before. Republican congressional leaders in 2017 proposed legislation to cut federal expansion funding, a move that would have shifted billions in costs to states. That plan, part of a strategy to repeal Obamacare, ultimately failed.
Jimmy Butler says he's not worrying about his future with Heat amid trade speculation Jimmy Butler knows there are tons of questions about his future with the Miami Heat. He might get traded, he might leave as a free agent next summer, he might exercise a $52.4 million option to return to the Heat or he might get a new contract. He isn't sure what will happen. The Heat forward spoke out about trade speculation Wednesday, telling reporters after practice that he doesn’t mind his name being in the rumor mill. Rape allegation against Jay-Z won’t impact NFL's relationship with music mogul, Goodell says IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says a rape allegation against rapper Jay-Z won’t impact the NFL's relationship with the music mogul. Jay-Z's company Roc Nation has produced some of the NFL’s entertainment presentations including the Super Bowl halftime show. A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 amended the lawsuit Sunday to include an allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault. Jay-Z says the rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. The NFL teamed up with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019 for events and social activism. The league and the entertainment company extended their partnership a few months ago. Reports: North Carolina reaches an agreement with Bill Belichick to become the Tar Heels' next coach Multiple media outlets are reporting that North Carolina has reached an agreement with former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick to become the next coach of the Tar Heels. The Athletic, ESPN and NFL Network reported, based on sources, that Belichick and UNC had agreed on a deal. The Athletic and NFL Network reported that the financial terms of the deal were expected to be for three years and $30 million. Neither North Carolina nor Belichick have announced that a deal has been completed. Juan Soto gets free luxury suite and up to 4 premium tickets for home games in $765M Mets deal DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract. The Mets agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. New York agreed to assist Soto’s family for in-season travel arrangements, guaranteed he gets uniform No. 22 and included eight types of award bonuses. Tulane QB Mensah transfers to Duke; Mississippi State’s Van Buren, Cal’s Mendoza enter portal Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State’s Michael Van Buren Jr. and Cal’s Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah is a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining. He told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men’s basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Ohio politician proposes make flag planting a felony after fight in Michigan rivalry game An Ohio politician has seen enough flag planting. Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. A fight ensued and police had to use pepper spray to disperse the players. Former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield famously planted a flag in the middle of the field at Ohio State after the Sooners beat the Buckeyes in 2017. Made in America: McKennie and Weah link up for goal to help Juventus beat City TURIN, Italy (AP) — Weston McKennie waved an imaginary wand and American compatriot Tim Weah joined him in celebration. The pair had just linked up with Weah assisting McKennie for Juventus’ second goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester City — marking the first time in Champions League history that two players from the United States combined for a goal. That lifted Juventus up to 14th place in the 36-team standings, with the top 24 advancing. It was also important for McKennie and Weah, who are both battling for minutes after recovering from injuries. Man City crisis deepens with loss to Juventus in Champions League as Barcelona and Arsenal win Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by losing 2-0 at Juventus in the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions. City dropped to 22nd place in the 36-team standings and only the top 24 advances. Reaching the knockout stage looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2022 and has won the last four Premier League titles. It's not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players. Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 and Barcelona won 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund. Lake Placid working with Italian officials as a backup sliding site for 2026 Winter Games Lake Placid would play host to bobsled, luge and skeleton events for the 2026 Olympics if a track currently being rebuilt in Italy isn’t finished in time for the Milan-Cortina Games, officials said Wednesday. There has been no indication from Italian officials that the track — a century-old facility that has been dormant for nearly 20 years — won’t be ready in time. Lake Placid would be serving only as a backup site, just in case. FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host despite human rights concerns ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich on Wednesday by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.Bronny James is set to make his G-League road debut on Thursday for the South Bay Lakers against the Valley Suns in Phoenix. James had intentionally featured exclusively in home games to this point for the Lakers G-League affiliate. They play at the UCLA Health Training Center, which also serves as the Los Angeles Lakers ' training complex. James was not traveling with the team on road games, as ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst expressed "he's only gonna kind of be a part-time G League player" while saying the team's preferential treatment of their rookie has "gone too far." 3 Jimmy Butler landing spots as NBA veteran's main motivation emerges Shaquille O'Neal walks off Inside the NBA set after unfortunate Jay-Z mention On Tuesday, fellow ESPN reporter Shams Charania tweeted how the Lakers "kept [the] door open for road contests." Now, James is poised to follow through on the team's initial intentions. In his first three G-League games, James featured in 26.3 minutes per contest while averaging 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 29.4 percent shooting. The Lakers selected James - the son of star LeBron James - with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after one season at USC. He's appeared in seven NBA games for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging just 2.6 minutes per game. He appeared in three minutes for Los Angeles in their 107-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers last Sunday. The Lakers drafted James with the assumption that he would split his time between the NBA and G-League. Speaking on his podcast "The Hoop Collective," Windhorst expressed the bizarre nature of the 20-year-old's development. "From my understanding, he’s only gonna play in the South Bay Lakers home games, that he’s only gonna kind of be a part-time G League player, and he’s not getting on United Airlines and going to fly and go see these other teams, play in these road games,” Windhorst said. “Honestly, I know he was getting somewhat special treatment and nepotism, that’s fine. I don’t care. It’s normal. Now, I think it’s actually detrimental to him. I don’t like that. I don’t know whose idea it was. Obviously, the Lakers are fine with it, they’re doing it... I think that's gone too far," he continued. Windhorst has covered LeBron for his entire career, including while he was a high-schooler in Cleveland before his time in the NBA. Back in November, Bronny James expressed optimism to join the G-League. “I’ve seen all the buzz from me going to the G,” he said. “It’s just an amazing experience for me to go out and play my game and get some minutes under me. I’m just excited for it.”Why incoming FTC chair Andrew Ferguson will ‘bring the heat on Big Tech’
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a $4 million, one-year contract on Monday. The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He’s 29-34 with a 4.19 career ERA. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free-agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Warren Buffett , renowned for his “buy-and-hold” investment philosophy, rarely sells stocks, making his decision to divest significant stakes a noteworthy event. Known as the “Sage of Omaha,” Buffett prefers to hold positions indefinitely, only selling when he believes a company's competitive advantage has eroded. His approach to investing is built on patience and confidence in a business's long-term fundamentals. "We're more reluctant to sell them than most people," Buffett explained during Berkshire Hathaway's 2009 annual meeting. "If we made the right decision going in, we like to ride that a very long time, and we've owned some stocks for decades. But if the competitive advantage disappears, if we really lose faith in the management, if we were wrong in the original analysis — and that happens — we sell," Buffett added. Also Read: Warren Buffett's Timeless Advice For Investing $10,000: ‘If You're Gonna Do Dumb Things Because Your Your Stock Goes Down, You Shouldn’t Own A Stock At All’ Buffett's strategy was evident in his historic investment in newspapers during the 1970s. Back then, he viewed publications like the Omaha World-Herald and Buffalo News as indomitable franchises. However, the industry faced severe challenges in the early 2000s, as digital platforms eroded advertising revenues. Recognizing these structural changes, Buffett eventually sold his portfolio of around 30 newspapers in early 2020, signaling his belief that their competitive edge had vanished. This rare shift in Buffett's portfolio management reflects his disciplined approach to identifying and responding to fundamental changes in industries. His actions underscore the importance of evaluating long-term competitive advantages, even for businesses previously considered untouchable. Read Next Warren Buffett’s Stock Market Advice: Ignore Neighbor’s Whispers On Stock Tips, Focus On Long-Term Value This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Valparaiso hired longtime Marietta coach Andy Waddle as its new football coach, athletic director Laurel Hosmer announced Monday. Waddle is scheduled to be formally introduced on campus Wednesday. He spent the last 12 seasons turning around the Division III program located in Southeastern Ohio. There, he went 55-61 after inheriting a winless team. He led the Pioneers to their first 8-0 start last season and matched the 1920 squad’s school record with a 13-game winning streak that started in 2023. In 2024, Marietta made its first postseason appearance since 1973. Waddle went 16-5 over the past two seasons and produced seven winning records over the last eight seasons. The Pioneers had only two winning seasons in the previous 20 years. “I think there is a great group of young men on the (Valparaiso) roster, and we’re excited to invest in those student-athletes and continue to add more high-quality people and football players to the program,” Waddle said of the program located in Indiana’s northwest corner. “I think Valpo is not only an outstanding fit for me professionally, but also an outstanding fit for me and my family.” Waddle spent eight seasons working with the defense as an assistant for his alma mater, Wittenberg, where he was an all-conference defensive back. He also has coached at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and at Maryville College in Tennessee. RELATED COVERAGE Georgia QB Carson Beck’s status for Sugar Bowl uncertain as he considers treatment options on elbow AP Top 25: Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas top poll going into playoff; Tide ranked ahead of SMU No. 8 SMU falls short in comeback bid in the ACC title game. Now the Mustangs await CFP fate “His experience building success and winning culture as a head coach, passion for developing student-athletes on and off the field and high character made it clear he was the right leader for our football program,” Hosmer said in a statement. The move comes two weeks after Hosmer announced the school would not give Landon Fox a contract extension after his deal expired. Fox was 21-42 in six seasons at Valparaiso. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballNicole Kidman commands the erotic office drama 'Babygirl''Never seen a Guardiola team this bad' - Man City under 'real pressure'