The number of Iowans enrolling in Medicaid, to get government-paid health insurance, has gone up in the recession and the program has been operating in the red. Two months ago, legislators plugged nine million dollars into the program in an emergency move, and Governor Tom Vilsack says Medicaid may have ended up with a “slight surplus” when the fiscal year ended June 30th. Vilsack says that’s good news as historically Iowa’s closed the year with a deficit. He says that would be an indication that some of the changes they’ve made are working. Vilsack says the final numbers won’t be available for a few more weeks.
