Senate passes Medicaid expansion compromise
The Maine Senate voted Thursday to expand the state's Medicaid program for three years, as long as the federal government picks up the tab.
The Portland Press Herald reported a new amendment, which cleared the Senate 23-12 Thursday, would seek to expand the state's Medicaid program for three years, during which the federal government has agreed to pay 100% of those costs. The bill calls for the state to seek a guarantee from the federal government that it would fully cover the cost of extending Medicaid coverage to around 60,000 Mainers for those three years.
The amendment also calls for the Legislature's nonpartisan fiscal agency to hire an auditor to assess the cost of expanding Medicaid in the state.
Democrats have pushed hard for expanding Medicaid, while the governor and some Republican lawmakers expressed concern about the federal government's ability to continue its payment promise.
The amendment, proposed by Republican Sen. Roger Katz, also passed the House in a preliminary vote Thursday, but drew support from just five other Republican lawmakers. With that level of support, the amendment would not have the votes required to withstand a veto from Gov. Paul LePage.
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