Medicaid reform prohibits Obamacare expansion

Austin American-Statesman:

The Legislature approved a pair of Medicaid reform bills Sunday to target fraud, redesign long-term care for elderly and disabled Texans and ensure that Texas does not participate in Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

A conference committee on Senate Bill 7 kept an amendment by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, that banned Medicaid expansion, though it was rewritten to address concerns that the original language threatened billions of dollars by putting Texas out of compliance with federal Medicaid regulations.

“We tightened up the language of the Leach amendment to make sure there are no unintended consequences,” said the bill’s author, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound. “This prevents the expansion of Medicaid.”
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The Unaffordable Care Act is still unpopular in Texas and other conservative states.  The main concern is that Congress could impose unfunded mandates on a system that is already costing states more than they can afford.   Texas would like to put more pressure on the federal government to allow greater flexibility in how Medicaid operates.