Insurance chief says he supports Medicaid expansion — but only for the poorest Mississippians

Forty states have opted into Medicaid expansion, where the federal government will pay 90% of the costs to cover primarily the working poor. But if the Legislature adopted Chaney’s plan where only those earning up to 100% of the federal poverty level are covered through Medicaid, the federal government would pay only its normal matching rate — lower than the 90% match — that is paid for the traditional Medicaid program. Plus, the state would not receive the more than $600 million offered over two years by the federal government as an incentive to expand Medicaid. The federal government currently pays about 77% of the cost for Mississippi to cover those on the traditional Medicaid program. In Mississippi currently, only the disabled, poor women during their pregnancy and for 12 months after giving birth, poor children, a segment of the low-income aged population and a small group of extremely poor caregivers are covered by Medicaid.