States in Medicaid Limbo After Court's Ruling

Mr. Jennings speculated that more will participate in the Medicaid expansion than most people currently think.

Dr. Stream agreed. "I suspect, at the end of the day, that we’ll have a lot more states coming in than we currently are hearing, primarily because I have some confidence in stakeholders’ abilities to encourage legislatures and governors to move ahead," he said.

Maryland is one of those states. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the state Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene, said that implementing the law will give states an edge over those that opt out.

"I’ve heard [Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-Md.)] say that he ultimately sees successful implementation of the law as a competitive advantage for Maryland [and] for businesses to locate in the state if there’s real investment in the workforce," Dr. Sharfstein said at the briefing.