Was Medicaid Expansion Worth It? The Affordable Care Act was designated to extend Medicaid to low-income individuals and families, but court decisions allowed states to opt out of Medicaid expansion. As of 21321], 38 states had expanded Medicaid coverage. Did the benefit of expansion exceed its costs? A detailed analysis concluded that the benefits of expansion substantially exceeded its cost while also making clear the complexity of the calculations. Borgschulte and 'v'ogler (2132f!) compared changes in mortality in expansion-state counties to changes in mortality in matched, non-expansion-state counties. Although mortality rates declined in all states between 2GB and 201?, by EMT, mortality rates [ell by 15 additional people per 130,331] in expansion states. Thus, the authors concluded that the expansion reduced mortality for those under age ES by just over 12,1]tl. Using the value of a statistical life [an estimate based on the effects of market choice on mortality risks; see EPA 2021]], they estimated the value of Medicaid expansion at $102 billion. Medicaid expansion costs F'fll billion, meaning that the benefits were greater than the costs. 1. How would having insurance coverage reduce mortality?|