New Medicaid patients may be younger than states feared

States that have refused to expand Medicaid, as requested as part of the Obamacare health reforms, say they can't afford to cover all the old, sick people who will be just waiting to get their free health care. But a new study contradicts this argument, saying the people who would become newly eligible for Medicaid are going to be younger white males who aren't sick yet? but who are more likely to be smokers and drinkers who would benefit from getting medical care now. "There are going to be many more males. They are going to be younger," says Dr. Tammy Chang of the University of Michigan, whose study is published in the Annals of Family Medicine.