Medicaid expansion proposal advances through Republican-led 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 in one of the poorest states in the U.S. — 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 98-20 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.
“It is a topic that should transcend politics and economics. For at its core, it’s about the well-being and dignity of every Mississippian,” McGee said. “Sometimes, it’s OK to do the right thing, because it’s the right thing.”
<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Mississippi ex-governor expected stake in firm that got welfare money, says woman convicted in fraud </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Missouri lawmakers try again to block Medicaid money from going to Planned Parenthood </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline