Reporting was contributed by Jared Dryden.
The Arkansas House has not yet passed the appropriation bill that includes the private option plan for Medicaid expansion, despite voting on the issue four times in the past two weeks. Arkansas legislation requires 75 percent of each legislative body to pass appropriation bills.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Senate passed the bill 27-8 last week. In the House, the vote hit a high of 72 in favor of the bill last Thursday. Since then, the House has not voted again on the bill, despite having opportunities every day this week.
Every day the House meets, it is a “game-time decision” whether to vote on the bill or not, according to Speaker of the House Davy Carter. If the bill is not passed, $89 million in funds must be cut from the next budget. This is especially problematic considering that a recent tax cut will remain in place regardless of the bill’s success, according to www.healthaffairs.org.
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said he hopes other states considering similar health care approaches to Arkansas’ are not concerned that the bill is having trouble being passed. He attributes the bill’s lack of success to the abnormally high supermajority requirement, not opposition to the bill.
According to the Arkansas Times, a bill detailing the state’s funding of the Medicaid program must be passed by March 6, when the fiscal session will end.
