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Senate committee amends Medicaid bill to restate work requirement, pauses final vote for lack of members
Summary
The Arkansas Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee adopted an amendment to a bill revising Medicaid-related language — including restating a work requirement and allowing recovery of pharmacy rebates — but delayed a final passage vote because not enough members were present.
Senator Johnson presented a bill to the Insurance & Commerce Committee that reasserts a Medicaid work requirement and makes several related changes, and the committee adopted an amendment before postponing a final passage vote because too few members were present.
The bill, as described by Senator Johnson, "adds the work requirement language that the waiver has already been submitted to CMS." It also would allow the state to recover pharmacy rebates, define "medical loss ratio" and "pharmacy rebate" consistent with the state's pharmacy benefit manager licensing act, move certain dates in the statute, direct the Department of Human Services to apply for a Section 1115 waiver to continue the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me program, and allow non–hospital-based organizations to qualify as community bridge organizations.
Committee members adopted a verbal amendment to change percentage language in the draft: on line 13 to add "85" written and "(85)" numerically, and on line 16 to change a previously listed "90" to "85" written and "(85)" numerically. The committee agreed to suspend the rules to consider the verbal amendment; Senator Irvin moved the amendment, which Senator Justin Boyd seconded, and the amendment was accepted and announced as adopted.
Senator Penzo asked where the work-requirement language appears in the bill; senators identified it as appearing on page 8. Senator Johnson said the work requirement language is already present in state statute and that the bill reiterates or clarifies that language to reflect changes sought by the current administration and to align with a previously submitted waiver. Senator Johnson said the waiver was submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) by Governor Sanders. Committee discussion noted that a prior version of the state work requirement had been denied by CMS and that current drafting reflects a subsequent court decision and administration changes; Senator Johnson said the changes "comply with that court decision."
A committee member asked whether $40 million would be spent to hire coaches under the waiver; Senator Johnson replied, "Not that no. That is not correct." No one signed up for public comment for or against the bill during the committee session.
After adopting the amendment, Senator Johnson closed debate and Senator Irvin moved that the bill "do pass as amended," seconded by Senator Boyd. Committee members present answered "aye" when asked, but the chair announced there were not enough members in their seats to complete the roll-call vote and that the vote would be taken later when sufficient members were present. The committee therefore did not record a final passage vote during this meeting.
The measure discussed affects Medicaid eligibility and program administration in Arkansas, and the bill’s provisions—especially the work requirement and the Section 1115 waiver—depend on federal approval from CMS and on implementation decisions by the Department of Human Services.
No final action on passage was recorded at the meeting; the committee will take the final vote when a sufficient number of members are present.
