Mississippi House Medicaid Committee Chairwoman Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, right, asks a question of the representatives from the Hilltop Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, unseen, who presented a brief on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in Mississippi, to the committee, media and lobbyists at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024. Committee member State Rep. Clay Mansell, R-Clinton, left, was among the legislators who attended the briefing. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Opponents of Medicaid expansion say the program would foster government dependency, increase wait times for health services and push people off private insurance. In a social media post on Wednesday before the vote, Reeves repeated those criticisms and tied the bill to the goals of prominent Democrats.
"Representative McGee keeps saying — over and over — that her bill is for working people," Reeves said. "The truth is this: her bill passed by the House committee yesterday is straight Obamacare Medicaid Expansion."
The proposal would increase eligibility for Medicaid, a health insurance program that covers low-income people. Those making up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $20,120 annually for a single person, would be eligible under the proposal. Mississippi has about 3 million residents, and its Medicaid program covered 754,585 people in January. McGee said it could extend benefits to about 200,000 people.
At a committee hearing Wednesday, McGee touted a financial incentive for expanding Medicaid provided by Congress in the American Rescue Plan. The bonus helped with the passage of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina. In Mississippi, the incentive and other cost offsets like increased tax revenues would pay for the program for about four years, McGee said.
House Democratic Leader Robert Johnson said he was stunned by the lopsided vote in favor of the bill. The result brought back memories of when Mississippi voted in 2020 to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its state flag.
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"The last time I felt this good I cried because we changed the flag for the state of Mississippi," Johnson said. "Today is a great day for working Mississippians."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republican-led-mississippi-house-advances-medicaid-expansion-proposal-moves-senate