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Representative opposes tabling of Senate bill amid warnings federal Medicaid cuts could force cuts to optional services
Summary
On a motion to table reconsideration of Senate Bill 3095, Representative Scott opposed tabling and urged the House to include a commitment in the tax bill to restore potential federal Medicaid cuts, warning that optional services such as prescriptions and physical therapy would be cut without state backfill.
A motion to table a reconsideration of Senate Bill 3095 drew a sustained floor appeal from the House’s member from Jones County, who urged colleagues not to abandon the question of Medicaid funding and proposed an amendment to the tax bill to guarantee state backfill if federal Medicaid funding is reduced.
Representative Scott (Jones County) spoke in opposition to the motion to table and detailed what she described as optional services that could be at risk if Congress and federal appropriators cut Medicaid funding. On the House floor she warned that prescription drugs; physical therapy; occupational therapy; audiology and speech therapy; and other optional services could be cut if the federal share is reduced and the state does not replace lost dollars.
The motion to table was made by Representative Stevenson (Tippah County). After debate and a recorded roll call, the House voted to table the motion to reconsider Senate Bill 3095 by a recorded vote of 85 yeas and 32 nays; the motion to table prevailed and the reconsideration did not proceed.
Representative Scott said she had an amendment intended to commit the House to restore funds if federal Medicaid appropriations declined significantly, and urged colleagues to both cut taxes and preserve Medicaid funding to avoid closing local pharmacies or reducing therapy services. The bill’s proponents and the chairing members did not adopt the amendment on the floor during that sequence; the motion to table carried on a roll call.
