There is a chance that Wyoming may expand Medicaid.
Wyoming House passes Medicaid expansion on 3rd reading! 32-28. Now on to the Senate!
— Adam Searing (@AdamSearing) March 24, 2021
The ARA is offering states that have not yet expanded Medicaid one hell of a deal. For the eight quarters following expansion, the federal government will cover the standard 90% of Expansion Medicaid costs and throw in a 5% kicker on top of the regular Federal share of Legacy Medicaid costs.
Legacy Medicaid is Medicaid for aged, blind and disabled. It is Medicaid for pregnant women. It is Medicaid for long term care. It is Medicaid for poor and working class kids.
Legacy Medicaid is a much more expensive to the state budget program than any Expansion. The 5% kicker for Legacy Medicaid means that the state is effectively being paid to expand Medicaid for at least two years. In most cases, net state dollars will not be drawn down for four, five, or six years under this current deal.
Medicaid Expansion still needs to survive the Wyoming Senate, and get a signature from the Governor, but it is far more plausible this week than last month.
BlueDWarrior
It’s the thing that constantly distresses me about the modern Right and all of it’s myriad permutations.
Why do they constantly insist on this Social Dwarnistic BS? Why is it they just cannot like, throw a bone to people, even in their own voting base, who don’t have 9+ figures in a bank account or pound a bible so much they are more liable to use it as a bludgeon than read it?
35+ years on this Earth and I still cannot comprehend it, is it really that alien a concept to me that I just… won’t?
Cheryl Rofer
But…,socialism!
HalfAssedHomesteader
Georgia seems determined to be the last to rejoin the union. Again.
HinTN
Even the sadists in the Tennessee legislature have been quoted as saying that the new proposal makes it worth a look. Not that it will pass, mind you, but the reflexive “Not no, hell no!” has softened. Governor Lee, of course, maintains his previous position.
HinTN
@Cheryl Rofer: Yeah, there’s that. But, MONEY …
Our once well maintained roads have gone to hell, too.
fake irishman
This development is intriguing. Getting Expansion through one house of Wyoming’s legislature is an accomplishment.
Having said that, even with the additional financial nudge, the stars would have to align perfectly: there are just too many institutional choke points that can stymie this in these states. Kansas has come very, very close to getting expansion through, but never gotten majorities in both houses of the ledge to line up with a friendly governor. South Dakota came darn close in 2016 before failing.
I don’t think the extra funding is a game changer beyond a stray state or two; would love to be proven wrong across the board.
Sloegin
Meanwhile, the Wyo legislature wants to sue other states for shutting down coal plants.
twitter.com/drvolts/status/1374792356197666817
Ken
@Sloegin: Didn’t they also throw a tantrum because Colorado was promoting a meatless day? Googling… No, Nebraska had the hissy fit.
StringOnAStick
@Ken: Nebraska is a huge meat packing state. The ultra libertarian idiots who own Omaha Steaks are based there, corporate HQ is on John Galt Way. I know this because their salesmen worked my increasingly senile mother for thousands of dollars and 4 jam packed freezer’s worth of their crap.
StringOnAStick
We got our first Pfizer yesterday, and today both of us have sore arms but only I felt too crappy to go skiing today. Oh well, worth it no matter what.