JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – ONE Medicaid Expansion The plan endorsed by leaders in Mississippi’s Republican-led Legislature may struggle to win bipartisan support because it includes a work requirement that is unlikely to receive federal approval, the state House Democratic leader said Tuesday.
Approval of the plan could create false hope among people who want Medicaid coverage but may not receive it, Rep. Robert Johnson told reporters after his party’s caucus met privately to discuss the issue.
“The Democratic caucus in the House did not want to vote for a Medicaid expansion bill that was only a Medicaid expansion in name,” said Johnson, of Natchez.
House and Senate leaders were working behind closed doors to secure support. They need at least a two-thirds margin in each chamber — enough to override an expected veto from the Republican governor. Tate Reeves.
Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the US, with some of the worse health outcomes. It is also one of 10 states that did not expand Medicaid under the health care law that then-President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010.
Democrats have argued for years that expanding Medicaid could help people receive care for chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes, and that an infusion of federal money could give a boost to financially struggling hospitals.
Reeves said Tuesday on social media that lawmakers were ready to vote on “FULL Obamacare Medicaid Expansion” and that it would be “Just how Obama-Biden wanted it!”
A plan introduced Monday night would require new Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries to work at least 100 hours a month in a job that does not offer private health insurance. Or they may fall into other categories, such as being a full-time student or parent of a child under 6 years old.
Georgia is the only state with a Medicaid work requirement and is suing the federal government to try to keep the mandate in force. The work requirement was approved by then-President Donald Trump’s administration, but the Biden administration announced in December 2021 that it was revoking approval. This prompted Georgia authorities to sue.
If the federal government rejects Mississippi’s work requirement, the state Division of Medicaid would be required to continue seeking approval each year — a recognition that a different federal administration could make a different decision.
Mississippi’s previous House speaker, Republican Philip Gunn, also opposed the expansion. He did not seek re-election. The new speaker chosen in January, Republican Jason White, said the expansion is a priority to try to help people who work low-wage, uninsured jobs.
The House voted by a wide bipartisan margin in late February to expand Medicaid coverage to about 200,000 people who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $20,120 per person annually. Mississippi has about 3 million residents and its Medicaid program covered 374,823 people in March.
In late March, the Senate approved its own streamlined version that would expand eligibility to people earning up to 100% of the federal poverty level, just over $15,000 per person. Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven, said about 80,000 people would become eligible for coverage. But he thought about half that number would enroll.
