Medicaid Expansion Compromise Plan With No Guarantee of Expanded Care Will Get A Vote

House leaders had opposed the Senate’s strict work requirement because it would prevent Medicaid expansion from taking effect unless the federal government approves the kind of work-requirement waiver that it has rejected in the past. But House lawmakers gave in and agreed to the Senate’s latest proposal minutes before an 8 p.m. deadline on Monday night. “A compromise requires concessions between the chambers. The Senate requires a real work requirement, but our plan now covers individuals up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level,” Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann said in a Monday press release. “This is a good step which would cover thousands more Mississippians than our Medicaid program covers now—and we hope the House will sign on to give us the opportunity to vote on the bill.”