Medicaid Expansion Bill Essentially Dead

A bill that would have prohibited the State of South Dakota from expanding Medicaid health coverage was killed in the House State Affairs Committee this Monday morning.  Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government will fund most of the expansion costs for the next few years.  Kim Malsam-Rysdon, Secretary of the Department of Social Services said the bill would be a major roadblock for their day to day operations of the current Medicaid program…

Kim Malsam-Rysdon 204 

Dave Hewett, President of the South Dakota Association of Health Care Organizations said this bill clouds the discussion over Medicaid expansion…

 Dave Hewett 204

Supporters of the bill said the state can’t afford the expansion, and that the federal government will not likely live up to its financial obligations.  The committee voted eleven to two to send the bill to the 41st legislative day