Arkansas says Medicaid expansion saves $372 million. Let’s break down those numbers.

Governors’ gripes about the Medicaid expansion almost always have to do with the price tag. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, says the program will “bankrupt” his state. Montana Gov. Gary Schweitzer, a Democrat, says his state can’t “just print money” to make it work.

That’s not, however, what we’re hearing from Arkansas: Officials there estimate that the Medicaid expansion would save the state $372 million in the first six years.

Arkansas’ analysis is one of the most detailed by a state so far, probing just about every way that Medicaid impacts state budgets. It’s worth looking at to get a more complete understanding of the costs and savings a state accrues from participating in the program.

The analysis starts off looking at the budget impact in 2015, where the state expects to save $38.8 million. Here’s what that looks like in chart form:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/18/arkansas-says-medicaid-expansion-saves-372-million-lets-break-down-those-numbers/