Enhanced Medicaid funding saves state budget

STATE

If Congress hadn't approved increased Medicaid funding for states last mondi, Pennsylvania would have had to make budget cuts t�iat would have resulted in die loss of 12,500 jobs, said Gary Tuma, press secretary for Gov. EdRendell.

The job losses would have been not just at die state level, t�iey would have trickled down to local municipalities and school districts t�iat would have seen dieir state funding slashed by tens of millions of dollars, he said.

Pennsylvania expected Congress to increase its Medicaid share, called the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, by $850 million during fiscal 2010-11 because several federal bills were awaiting action, which …