A political melee over Medicaid issues unfolded during today’s meeting of the House Health and Welfare Committee. Bills backed by the House GOP leadership that were supposed to be part of larger deal to advance tax proposals in this special session were unexpectedly deferred by their legislative sponsors.
While the bills can always be brought back up for a vote, the inaction was the second time in as many days where critical tax negotiations seemed to break down. “I’d like to vote for something,” said committee member Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall. “I’m tired of this.”
The general read in the Capitol’s hallways, among lobbyists and lawmakers, is that special session is in serious jeopardy. The House Ways and Means Committee failed to advance the session’s centerpiece proposal Wednesday—a sales tax bill that links its own passage to the success of several GOP-backed spending reduction measures, including three of the four bills that were deferred during today’s House Health and Welfare Meeting.
Rep. Frank Hoffmann, R-West Monroe, suffered most of the blows when defending his House Bill 3, which creates a work requirement for Medicaid eligibility. It’s a hot topic that some lawmakers, from both sides of the aisle, appear hesitant to support.
The disagreement centered on whether the work requirement would give Medicaid enrollees more opportunities to contribute to the community or, as Democrats framed it, punish them. There were also concerned that the program could cost more money than it would save. “Why are we even doing this?” asked Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans.
Then there’s House Bill 2 by Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, which would combat Medicaid fraud. Like Hoffmann and the other GOP sponsors, Bacala shelved his bill when it became apparent that the committee, which has strong Democratic representation, was unlikely to support his proposal.
Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, when called to defend his two bills on the agenda, waved the white flag before debate could even ensue. He postponed the vote on House Bill 11, which would require a co-payment for non-emergency hospital visits, and House Bill 4, which would require certain enrollees pay premiums for eligibility. “They were not going to let it go to a vote,” McFarland said.
Jeremy Alford will publish a daily update throughout the legislative special session on Daily Report PM. Alford reports on Louisiana politics at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
