Families USA Backs Warner Senate Bill Offering 19 States Second Chance at 100 Percent Federal Funding for Medicaid Expansion

Washington, D.C. – The 19 states that have not accepted Medicaid expansion would get a second chance at having the federal government pay 100 percent of the expansion cost for three years under a bill proposed today by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). Original co-sponsors of the bill are Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA); Angus King (I-ME); Claire McCaskill (D-MO); Jon Tester (D-MT); Debbie Stabenow (DMI); Gary Peters (DMI), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The majority of the population who would qualify for benefits under Medicaid expansion are working men and women who earn too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid, but not enough to be eligible for subsidies on the health care exchange. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government paid 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion from 2014 to 2016 – sliding gradually to a permanent 90/10 federal-state split in 2020. Following is the statement of Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack on the Warner bill:

“Even a divided Congress should see the wisdom of this bill. It doesn’t force reluctant states to do anything. But it allows those that change their minds the chance to receive the same federal support granted the states that implemented the Medicaid expansion in 2014. Congress should pass this bill quickly so that those state legislatures still in session can take this financial incentive into account during their deliberations.

“The 19 states that have yet to accept Medicaid expansion should look to the success stories in the states that have, and then do what’s right for the long-term health of both their residents and their economies.”