JACKSON, Miss.–The Mississippi legislature ended its regular session Saturday without passing a Medicaid expansion bill, a measure that was favored by Democratic lawmakers from the Delta.
Both the House and Senate adjourned for the final time in 2024 Saturday morning.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann promised reporters Friday that expansion would be a priority during next year’s short session, which is expected to last about 90 days.
The hang-up this year was a work requirement. Democrats were insistent that having a work requirement as part of the package would surely see it rejected by the federal Centers for Medicaid. They must approve all expansion plans.
The compromise reached near the end of the session, which was not brought to a vote, kept a work requirement, along with a reluctantly agreed to plan for nearly full expansion, which would have made nearly 200,000 more Mississippians eligible for Medicaid. The plan would have almost certainly been vetoed by Gov. Tate Reeves, with uncertainty if enough political willpower was present in both chambers for an override of the veto.
