Dive Brief:
- Two more states - Wyoming and Maine - could see compromise solutions to Medicaid expansion if current momentum continues.
- In Wyoming, a bill proposing an alternative to Medicaid expansion through a program that would provide medical assistance to those unable to pay for health insurance passed the state Senate.
- In Maine, a new bill is proposing a hybrid solution similar to those used in some conservative states that combines aspects of Medicaid and private insurance.
Dive Insight:
The pressure is on in both states to answer the call for a solution without calling it Medicaid expansion.
In Wyoming, legislators rejected expansion six times in 2014 and again in 2015. Gov. Matt Mead pressed for it again during his recent State of the State address. The current alternative bill is sponsored by state Senator Charles Scott, an opponent of Medicaid expansion.
The Maine bill aims to get traction by including a compromise measure connected to combating the heroin crisis, the Associated Press reports. It is said to be backed by a coalition of police and medical organizations though Gov. Paul LePagewould would be opposed because of its costs, according to an administration official.
Maine has previously failed five times to pass Medicaid expansion. But advocates suggest there is a possibility this year thanks to the acceptance of the program in some other Republican-led states, and this bill's connection to the state's drug crisis.