Tennessee House Speaker Beth HarwellNASHVILLE — Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey voiced skepticism Tuesday over expanding Medicaid coverage to thousands of Tennesseans under the federal health care law.
But the leaders aren’t quite ready to rule it out, saying they need more time to study the issue.
President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act provides new money to states that expand Medicaid programs such as TennCare to millions of low-income people at mostly federal expense.
In Tennessee, as many as 330,000 new people could qualify, with the federal government picking up 100 percent of the tab the first three years, decreasing to a 90 percent share in 2019 and thereafter.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who on Monday rejected creating a state-run health insurance exchange, has said he hasn’t decided yet on the Medicaid expansion. Among his concerns are that the federal government at any time could cut the funding, leaving the state on the hook financially for the expanded enrollees.