“We are looking at that,” Gov. Bentley said in response to an audience question regarding expansion. “We have not made a final decision on that yet, exactly how that would work.”
Expanding Medicaid would make health insurance available for approximately 300,000 Alabamians.
Earlier this year, Gov. Bentley said he could support a state program that requires consumers to work and pay premiums. But his recent comments are the strongest to date on the possibility of Medicaid expansion, according to the Star.
However, Gov. Bentley also cited his worries regarding the financial aspect of expansion. “If we were to accept that, you have to realize that it’s going to cost the state of Alabama over the next six years, $710 million dollars in the general fund — folks, I can’t even get them to raise $100 million so we’ve got to look at a funding stream for that if we are going to do it,” he said.
Many Alabama Republican senators have also emphasized the downside of Medicaid expansion. “It’s a terrible idea,” said Senator Trip Pittman. “We can’t afford the government we have now.”
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