GOP moving ahead on Medicaid bills despite governor’s concerns

Republican leadership in both the Mississippi House and Senate are pushing forward bills to expand Medicaid to the state's working poor despite a disapproving narrative from Gov. Tate Reeves.

Meanwhile, a statewide economic impact study that was presented to the House Medicaid committee Tuesday afternoon found that expanding the state's Medicaid program for an estimated 210,000 people with federal dollars would practically cost the state nothing for the first two years.

On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann told the Clarion Ledger he helped file a bill Monday that will expand Mississippi Division of Medicaid using federal dollars for around 210,000 working poor people in the state, who don't make enough to afford private health insurance but too much or are otherwise ineligible for the state's program.

“We have to have a healthy people,” Hosemann said. “Last year we passed post-partum (care). It took two years to get that through but essentially so that women would have health care after the birth of their child so that they could take care of their child and so if they wanted to, to reenter the workforce. The next part of this, clearly, was to have healthy working people.”

Hosemann said that the program would account for the federal government paying 90% of the cost to expand coverage to an estimated 230,000 to 300,000 new potential Mississippi beneficiaries, while the state would cover 10%. Hosemann's estimates are based on those from State Economist Corey Miller, whose numbers differ slightly from other estimates.

To be eligible, anyone applying for the new program would need to make no more than 138% of the federal poverty line and be working. Currently, if those adults are not pregnant or disabled, they have no access to preventative care.

Conversely, several House members who spoke to the Clarion Ledger said Republican House Speaker Jason White, who has been an outspoken supporter of improving health insurance for poor working people since he took office

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann speaks during the press conference held to announce a special session at the Walter Sillers Building in Jackson in January. Hosemann, among other GOP leaders in the legislature, is pushing Medicaid expansion in Mississippi.

Jan.2, has also authored a bill to expand Medicaid.

Hosemann said he had spoken to White about the push from the Senate, but White did not comment on whether he would support the bill being proposed by the Senate, nor did he comment on the specifics of his bill.

"We have not seen the Senate's bill on Medicaid and have not had any conversations about what their legislation entails,” White said. “In the coming days the House will unveil our plan to provide healthcare options to hardworking lowincome Mississippians."

Economic impact for regular expansion

According to a report done by the Hilltop Institute, a nonpartisan research group that partnered with the Center for Mississippi Health Policy, about 210,000 people could be added to the state's Medicaid program.

Of that, more than 199,500 would be considered new enrollees and about 138,600 would be previously uninsured.

For the first two years, the influx of Medicaid members on the rolls would cost Mississippi about $159 million to $201 million per year through 2028. As it stands, half that cost would be covered

through tax revenues to the state. Another 15% would be offset by Medicaid expenditure reductions or non-Medicaid state-funded health spending.

Additionally, the report estimated the state would make $676 million in American Rescue Plan Act enhanced Financial Medical Assistance Percentages, which are the rates used for matching funds for Medicaid and statefunded health programs.

“Our model suggests that if Mississippi were to use ARP Act enhanced FMAP to fund expansion, the state could fully offset the net cost of expansion for the foreseeable future,” the report reads.

Expanding Medicaid would also translate to 11,000 new jobs in the healthcare sector and a reduction of $164 million to $191 million in uncompensated care, which would greatly benefit financially waning local hospitals throughout the state.

Republican Rep. Missy McGee, the Medicaid Committee Chair, said the presentation will help her and fellow house members by providing information about the nature of Medicaid expansion as they consider White's bill as well as others.

“We were happy to have this study, which I have found is consistent with other studies as well,” McGee said. “We'll just take this information as we go into discussing legislation to address these issues.”

McGee also said she plans to meet with Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R, who chairs Medicaid in the other chamber, to discuss what they will bringing forward into their committees, and to discuss the feasibility of both chamber's Medicaid bills.

“Sen. Blackwell and I have a great relationship, and we will be meeting to discuss the issues before both of our committees,” McGee said.

Tate Reeves' stance on Medicaid expansion

Not long after Hosemann began speaking publicly about the Senate's bill to expand health insurance to the working poor, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves posted on X, formerly Twitter that he would not support any attempt to bring Medicaid expansion to Mississippi, quoting a post from former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump, stating “Obama Care sucks,”

Hosemann told the Clarion Ledger he had already spoken to Reeves, but he would not speak to Reeves overall thoughts, though he is confident in the legislation.

“The governor has made his position quite clear, and I've just made ours,” Hosemann said. "I don't think the governor is in a position that he doesn't want working people to have health care. He just wants to make sure that we don't break the bank.”

McGee, when asked about her position on Reeves' social media posts, said she was moving forward with her legislation regardless.

“I'm a member of the House of Representatives, I don't work for the administration of the state,” McGee said. “I believe that we have strong support in the House for finding health insurance solutions for our low-income workers, and we can do it in a very positive, economic, economically beneficial way.”

Reeves did not respond to requests to elaborate on his position on Medicaid expansion by time of publication.

Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

LAUREN WITTE/CLARION LEDGER