Decision on how AHCCCS is funded will be left to courts

Is it an assessment of is it a tax? That;s the question that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is asking the Arizona Supreme Court to decide on with regards to the state’s Medicaid program. As it stands the state sees the Arizona Health Care Containment System as an assessment and allows Arizona to collect millions in levies from hospitals and from the federal government.

Now, if the court declares that the levy that funds AHCCCS is a “tax” it would in turn require a two-thirds vote from both the House and the Senate. According to reports many at the capitol see the levy as a ‘tax” and not an assessment. The fear at this point is that if the court declares that the levy is a “tax” close to half a million Arizonans living below the poverty line may lose their medical coverage.