Medicaid expansion proposal advances through Mississippi House, will go to Senate

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led House passed a bill Wednesday that would expand Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands more residents, — a landmark shift after state leaders refused to consider the policy for years.

The bill’s passage was greeted by applause in the House chamber following a bipartisan 96-20 vote. It now heads to the state Senate, where its fate remains uncertain as lawmakers are expected to introduce a competing proposal that could serve as a foundation for further negotiations.

The move follows years of opposition from Republicans, including Gov. Tate Reeves, to the expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act, a 2010 federal health overhaul signed by then-President Barack Obama. The bill’s Republican sponsor, Rep. Missy McGee, said lawmakers had a “moral imperative” to put ideology aside to improve Mississippi’s poor health outcomes.

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.

Opponents of Medicaid expansion say the program would foster government dependency, increase wait times for health services and push people off private insurance.