Reps. Veasey, Sewell Introduce Bill to Incentivize Medicaid Expansion

Statement

Reps. Marc Veasey (TX-33) and Terri Sewell (AL-07)today introduced legislation to ensure that all states that expand Medicaid coverage under the terms of the Affordable Care Act receive an equal federal match for expansion, regardless of when a state chooses to expand Medicaid coverage.

"The writing is on the wall and the facts are clear: premiums and health care costs are higher in states that have not expanded Medicaid. And over 90% of rural hospital closures have been in states that did not expand Medicaid before the closure. In my state, approximately 314,000 more Alabamians would be covered under Medicaid expansion. Not doing so is a poor decision," Sewell said. "And while I can't force Alabama's governor to expand Medicaid, I can continue to promote legislation that provides more incentives for her to do so. Today's legislation is a step in the right direction and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get it passed."

"The bill will create an incentive for all eligible States to provide affordable health care coverage for all of their citizens," Veasey said. "In Texas, approximately 638,000 people would gain coverage if Medicaid were expanded. This is a no-brainer for the state of Texas and for the fourteen states across the country who haven't adopted this program."

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