The
Senate Government Operations Committee met Wednesday and moved four bills to
the Senate floor – House
Bill 4714, the main Medicaid expansion bill that had been the subject of
considerable debate since passing the House in June, and two alternative plans
in the form of Senate
Bills 422 and Senate
Bills 459 and 460.
Committee Chair and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe)
indicated that all three plans were moved to the floor as all have merit and
deserve debate as to which option is best. All signs point to action on these
bills August 27th when the Senate returns for consistently scheduled
session.
HB
4714 passed the Committee in a somewhat surprising 4-0 with Senator Dave
Hildenbrand (R-Lowell) abstaining and Senator Arlan Meekof (R-West Olive)
voting “yes.” Senator Meekof had previously been publically opposed to the
measure; however, indicated he voted in favor of moving it to the full Senate
to ensure full debate on all three plans. He later clarified that, if the
proposal goes unchanged, he would in-fact be a “no” vote on the Senate floor.
The
alternative encompassed by SB 422, championed by Senator Bruce Caswell
(R-Hillsdale), would establish a state-funded program to rival Medicaid for
those up to 100 percent of the poverty level. The plan also contains a $35,000
per patient, per year cap on hospitalization costs; however, includes a cost to
the State of Michigan of an estimated $380 - $580 million per year in General
Fund dollars.
The
alternative encompassed by SBs 459 and 460, championed by Senator Patrick
Colbeck (R-Canton Township), essentially converts the existing Medicaid
population to a “qualified health plan.” The plan also moves Medicaid eligibility
determination to the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS).