Few Mississippi lawmakers outright oppose Medicaid expansion

No Republican lawmaker within the Mississippi Home or Senate voted in favor of Medicaid growth when legislative Democrats pressured votes on the problem in the course of the not too long ago accomplished 2023 session.

However these votes don’t essentially imply the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature opposes opting into the coverage that would supply well being protection for a whole lot of hundreds of poor, working Mississippians and revive rural hospitals which were struggling to remain open.

Solely a handful of lawmakers in each the Home and Senate say they outright oppose Medicaid growth, based on a Mississippi As we speak survey of legislators carried out in the course of the 2023 legislative session.

Simply 21 of the Home members surveyed, or 18% of the Home, stated they outright opposed Medicaid growth. And simply 18 of the Senate members surveyed, or 38% of the Senate, stated they outright opposed it.

Within the Home, 67 members — a voting majority — stated they both supported Medicaid growth or had been undecided. Mississippi As we speak couldn’t get solutions from 32 representatives.

And within the Senate, 25 members — one vote shy of a voting majority — stated they both supported Medicaid growth or had been undecided. Mississippi As we speak couldn’t get solutions from 9 senators.

However among the many lawmakers who stated they opposed growth or requested to be labeled as “undecided,” a number of went on so as to add that they had been truly open to some model of growth.

A number of lawmakers who stated they opposed growth stated they supported insurance policies just like these handed in states resembling Arkansas, Kentucky or Indiana — all states which have handed variations of Medicaid growth.

Sen. Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from DeSoto County who chairs the Senate Medicaid Committee, was amongst these. Different key legislative leaders fell on this camp.

“I’m open to contemplating one thing like Indiana has finished,” stated Rep. Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, after asking to be labeled “undecided.”

“I’m in opposition to it apart from I might take into account one thing like in Kentucky or Indiana, the place everybody’s bought pores and skin within the recreation,” stated Rep. Kevin Horan, a Republican from Grenada who requested to be labeled “no.”

Mississippi is one in all simply 10 states which have resisted Medicaid growth. Economists say the coverage would carry $1.5 billion in new income yearly whereas creating jobs, serving to bolster the budgets of struggling hospitals and offering as much as 300,000 poor, working Mississippians with well being protection.

The years-long resistance to growth has come most immediately from Republican leaders — particularly Gov. Tate Reeves and Home Speaker Philip Gunn — who’ve likened the coverage to socialism. Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, has up to now indicated help for some model of growth however hasn’t earnestly pushed laws since he was elected in 2020.

And as poor Mississippians wrestle to afford primary well being care and dozens of the state’s rural hospitals wrestle to maintain their doorways open, Mississippi voters seem resolutely behind growth. An April ballot from Mississippi As we speak/Siena Faculty confirmed that 66% of Mississippians help Medicaid growth. An earlier survey in January confirmed 80% of Mississippians favored growth.

A number of rank-and-file Republican lawmakers polled by Mississippi As we speak stated they had been open to growth, and a few shared they believed there was a higher willingness amongst Republicans to go growth than in earlier years. All 57 Democratic lawmakers help growth.

Nonetheless, there was no critical push by Republicans within the 2023 session to even debate growth, not to mention vote on it.

“I believe individuals are a bit extra open-minded about it than they had been,” stated Rep. William Tracy Arnold, a Republican from Booneville who helps Medicaid growth. “We’ve a considerable quantity of income now. We’ve to assist save our struggling hospitals, and this is able to not solely be giving hospitals extra funding, it could assist the struggling, tax-paying citizen.”

“Years in the past once I first ran, I used to be completely against Medicaid growth,” stated Rep. Mark Tullos, a Republican from Raleigh. “However I’ve checked out it additional, and checked out what Arkansas did, and I might help one thing just like what Arkansas has, with protection for low revenue working individuals. Being from rural Mississippi, hospitals play a big position in our group. For rural Mississippi we’re going to must do one thing.”

“I’m for giving the working individuals of Mississippi well being protection,” stated Rep. Sam Creekmore, a Republican from New Albany. “I’m for giving the working individuals well being protection. It might save lives. It might maintain individuals working and forestall medical points down the street.”

“I’m for medical health insurance for our working individuals in Mississippi,” stated Rep. Jerry Turner, a Republican from Baldwyn. “I’m for a program that might have all people have pores and skin within the recreation.”

Dozens of different Republicans requested to be marked as “undecided” in Mississippi As we speak’s growth database. A few of these indicated they had been ready on management to current some choices, and others stated they wouldn’t communicate to any theoretical coverage change with out first seeing a invoice.

“We have to have the dialog,” stated Sen. Bart Williams, a Republican from Starkville. “We’ve a hospital disaster and we have to hearken to any and all concepts.”

“With out understanding what a invoice seems like, it’s exhausting to say. However we’ve to do one thing to assist our rural hospitals,” stated Rep. Jon Lancaster, a Republican from Houston. “However I’m involved concerning the federal strings.”

“We have to have discussions about it,” stated Rep. Nick Bain, a Republican from Corinth. “There are good elements to it and never so good.”

“The satan is within the particulars, the place the cash is coming from,” stated Sen. Walter Michel, a Republican from Ridgeland. “I do wish to assist the hospitals, however I must see the invoice.”

Nonetheless, a number of Republicans stay firmly against growth. And lots of of these opposed declined to expound on why they’re opposed.

However Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Department, stated: “It’s unhealthy insurance coverage, so there’s no cause to maintain increasing it.”