Tennessee House Democrats renew Medicaid expansion call, pan GOP block grant effort
Senate Republican leaders, who have consistently opposed Medicaid expansion under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act, said last week their block grant effort might eventually lead to a program to help some working poor with insurance premiums under their employers' health plans.
"I think it's an idea that's being bandied about on their side to make it look like they actually care," charged Rep.
Lee ran for governor last year saying he wouldn't expand Medicaid and was looking for other ways to address lack of health coverage, including addressing costs of care.
But Clemmons and other
"This is an issue that an overwhelming number of
Lt. Gov.
"We're looking at some different options that wouldn't put the state at risk as much as a normal expansion," said McNally. He noted he is concerned the current federal share of financial support for the expansion population's coverage -- the federal match is 90 percent with states paying the remaining 10 percent -- could be cut substantially by
That could harm state finances, McNally said, adding, "we hope we could find something that limits our future risk. I think a block grant might be a good way to do it."
Rep.
"It's not about expanding any further," Johnson said. "What we're talking about is a vote we could take tomorrow and make it happen instead of a plan we don't know how long it's going to take to execute or develop. It's time now, and [Medicaid expansion] is proven and tested."
But McNally said what's being discussed by Republican senators is a two-fold approach. There's the original bill, sponsored by Sen.
Republican leaders would like to follow up on that with a second waiver seeking expansion money in the form of a block grant proposal helping some in the estimated 280,000 in the expansion population. A number of them are already working but may not be able to afford premiums for their employers' insurance. The idea is to provide them vouchers.
Nine rural
Lee has consistently called Medicaid a "flawed system."
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