Arkansas Governor Favors Keeping Medicaid Expansion, With Changes

The New York Times (8/20, Goodnough, Subscription Publication) reports that yesterday, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) “told an advisory group weighing the future of the state’s alternative Medicaid expansion that he favored keeping it — but only if the federal government allowed changes that seemed intended to appeal to conservative legislators who continue to oppose the program.” While Hutchinson created the panel “to recommend whether to change or replace the state’s ‘private option’ version of Medicaid expansion,” the fate of the program “will ultimately be decided by the Republican-controlled legislature, which is likely to meet in a special session this year to vote on it.”

        The AP (8/20) reports that the changes that the Federal government would need to approve involve requiring recipients to participate in employer-sponsored plans, if available, and to pay a portion of their premium.

        Also covering the story are the Arkansas News (8/20, Lyon), the Fort Smith (AR) City Wire (8/20), the Fort Smith (AR) Times Record(8/20, Lyon), and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (8/20, Lesnick).