Outgoing Republican Rep. Sam Whitson is mulling the reversal of a state law requiring the governor to gain approval from the legislature before expanding Medicaid.
Whitson, a Franklin lawmaker who recently announced he will not seek reelection in 2024, said he’s been considering such a measure for two years with Tennessee forgoing billions in federal funding that could enable the working poor to obtain insurance coverage. He has not filed a bill yet.
The amount Tennessee is losing by not partaking in the federal offer of additional Medicaid funds ballooned from about $1 billion in 2014 to $2.1 billion this year, according to healthinsurance.org.
“We should give the governor the opportunity to explore options,” Whitson told the Tennessee Lookout. “I’m not saying we need to do Medicaid expansion. I just think that was a restrictive bill done for purely political reasons to enhance Kelsey’s and Durham’s political future.”
Former Sen. Brian Kelsey, who pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance fraud and is fighting to reverse the plea, and former Rep. Jeremy Durham, who was expelled from the House in 2016 for 22 cases of sexual misconduct, passed the resolution in 2014 requiring legislative approval of a plan that former Gov. Bill Haslam was negotiating with the federal government.