Although Hutchinson and legislative leaders recently said they didn’t expect there will be a funding fight over the future of the state’s hybrid Medicaid expansion, according to Senator Missy Irving, not everyone agrees.
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The federal government is paying all of the costs now but, beginning this year, the state will begin paying a portion, which will increase gradually, reaching 10 percent in five years. Governor Hutchinson says federal officials have approved a number of changes Arkansas wishes to make in the Arkansas Works Medicaid expansion. He says the Department of Health and Human Services
will authorize most of the changes to be made in the program for 300,000 low-income residents.
Senator Scott Flippo says it’s highly likely block grants will be seen.
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Flippo believes the issue will likely take Congress and the Trump Administration to act before changes will be implemented.
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The top Republican in the Senate has said there may be modifications to the program, but thinks longer-term changes would need to be taken up in a special session.
Senator Kim Hendren, a Republican in Gravette, says It’s going to be a contentious debate and that $835 million can’t get pulled out of the revenue stream without a lot of controversy and political pressure.
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