JACKSON, Miss. — An amendment to expand Medicaid failed in the Mississippi House Thursday morning 64 to 52. However, Mississippi Democrats may consider this progress, since the House did not even have an up or down vote last legislative session.
“Those of you that live on the coast that are voting against it. You say, ‘Okay they may do away with the federal money. They may not come back.’ Let me ask you this. Do you want to do away with the federal flood insurance program? Do you know how much in debt the federal flood insurance program is? $24 billion. You don’t want to do away with that,” said State Representative Cecil Brown. “Everybody in her benefits from federal money.”
Expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Healthcare Act would allow Mississippians living at 133 percent of the poverty line to qualify for Medicaid. The federal government would cover a hundred percent of the cost until 2020. Afterwards, state would pick up 10 percent of the cost. Opponents of the amendment say the state cannot afford it.
