WICS Live: Around the States

Arizona: Medicaid Enrollment Increasing Rapidly, Adding to Budget Woes: Officials with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid agency said in normal year, new enrollments increase about 60,000. But with the downturn in the state’s service and construction industries, the state anticipates adding up to 300,000 new enrollees this year. The state is already having difficulty keeping up with the program’s current costs and is contributing to the state’s current budget standoff between Governor Jan Brewer (R) and the Republican-controlled legislature. They are at odds over the Governor’s 1% sales tax increase to close a $3 billion budget gap.