The Los Angeles Times (4/10, Levey) reports that the “national divide” over the ACA “is beginning to affect Americans’ access to medical care and perhaps even their ability to pay medical bills, a new study of the country’s four largest states suggests.” Residents in Florida and Texas, which have resisted Medicaid expansion under the health law, reported more problems getting medical care than residents of California and New York, which have expanded Medicaid. Floridians and Texans “were also significantly more likely to struggle with medical bills and to report that they had medical debt, according to the study from the Commonwealth Fund.”

US News & World Report (4/10) reports that Dr. David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund, said in a statement, “If states don’t take the necessary steps to help their residents obtain insurance, we may see ever-widening disparities between states in their residents’ coverage and the financial protection it provides.”

Jeffrey R. Ungvary President