Medicaid Expansion may generate job growth in health sector

June 24, 2013

The newly-approved expansion of Arizona's Medicaid system will be good for the health sector of the state's economy, according to economist Aruna Murthy of the Department of Economic Security.

“I don’t know how the whole exchange process will be structured and what that means in terms of employment, but I certainly would expect some amount of growth in employment in this sector,” Murth said.

But, Murthy says whether Medicaid Expansion can generate jobs into the future depends on how much the state's population grows. She says rising numbers could prompt new hospital construction to meet demand.