Medicaid expansion proposal could reshape House debate
Two Republican lawmakers laid out a bill Tuesday that would have Maine expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act, at the same time implementing other changes to the program.
The proposal, which was crafted by Assistant Senate Republican Leader Roger Katz of Augusta and Sen. Thomas Saviello of Wilton, reportedly could be a potential breakthrough to pass a bill to expand Medicaid, called MaineCare, to about 70,000 Mainers, but it also faces significant hurdles, according to an Associated Press story.
The two lawmakers hope to gain the support of more of their GOP colleagues to override Gov. Paul LePage’s objections, according to the wire service. The governor vetoed two previous attempts. Katz said the bill tries to pick up Republican votes without losing Democratic ones.
A central component of the bill would have the state implement managed care in the Medicaid program and contract with three or four organization that would compete for Medicaid recipients and set up provider networks statewide, like private insurers, according to the AP. Katz said managed care will give the state more predictability in the cost of the program.
The lawmakers will take up Katz’s bill before they look at a separate proposal by House Speaker Mark Eves, a North Berwick Democrat, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The bill is Katz’s second try to build bipartisan consensus for Medicaid expansion, according to the newspaper. It also has been a top issue for Eves, who the paper said took the symbolic move of letting Katz’s proposal move ahead of his own expansion bill.
Katz’s proposal keeps several elements of last year’s compromise, including a three-year sunset provision that would end Medicaid coverage for those who qualify under the expansion should a future Legislature decide to not reauthorize it. The newspaper said the federal government would fully fund expansion for three years, after which it would reduce compensation gradually to 90% of costs by 2020.
New provisions include one that would change significantly how Medicaid funds are allocated and health outcomes are measures, the paper said.
Eliot Cutler, independent candidate for governor, released a statement saying he hopes both parties will get behind the Katz/Saviello proposal and do the right thing.
In a related development, an advisory opinion by the state ethics commission on Tuesday found that Eves’ job with a behavioral health care organization and his advocacy for Medicaid expansion are not a conflict of interest, according to the Press Herald.
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