Medicaid expansion proposal advances through Republican-led Mississippi House, will go to Senate

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led House passed a bill Wednesday that would expand Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands more residents in one of the poorest states in the U.S. — a landmark shift after state leaders refused to consider the policy for years. The bill’s passage was greeted by applause in the House chamber following a bipartisan 98-20 vote. It now heads to the state Senate, where its fate remains uncertain as lawmakers are expected to introduce a competing proposal that could serve as a foundation for further negotiations. The move follows years of opposition from Republicans, including Gov. Tate Reeves, to the expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act, a 2010 federal health overhaul signed by then-President Barack Obama. The bill’s Republican sponsor, Rep. Missy McGee, said lawmakers had a “moral imperative” to put ideology aside to improve Mississippi’s poor health outcomes. “It is a topic that should transcend politics and economics. For at its core, it’s about the well-being and dignity of every Mississippian,” McGee said. “Sometimes, it’s OK to do the right thing, because it’s the right thing.” Mississippi has the highest rate of preventable deaths in the U.S. Its top health official has said...