Republican-sponsored Medicaid expansion bill halted for the year in Tennessee legislature

A bill from a Republican lawmaker aimed at expanding Medicaid in Tennessee under the Affordable Care Act was halted for the year Wednesday after its sponsor said he didn't have enough votes to move it forward.

After giving an impassioned speech about why he thought the measure was necessary, Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, opted to stop short of having the House TennCare Subcommittee vote on the bill.

Travis said he has received assurances from House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, that the legislation will be discussed later this year, likely over the summer.

"(The speaker) has guaranteed me that all of the players will come to the table and we will look at this bill ... and see what makes everybody happy," Travis told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

The bill was based on former Gov. Bill Haslam’s failed 2015 Medicaid expansion proposal, known as Insure Tennessee. It sought to require Republican Gov. Bill Lee to submit a waiver amendment to federal officials within 180 days and seek "medical assistance coverage for the same population groups and services as the Insure Tennessee proposal."

Lee has maintained his opposition to Medicaid expansion and is instead focused on reducing health care costs. 

Likewise, the speakers of the House and Senate have expressed skepticism about the prospects of the latest Medicaid expansion measure to make its way through the legislature. Even the bill's sponsor in the upper chamber, Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, expressed doubt about its prospects.

Despite its aim, Travis said he was not pressured to stop short of requiring the House committee to vote on the proposal.

"This was something that I wanted to do," he said. "Nobody's put any pressure on me."

Travis said he ultimately concluded he didn't have the votes in the committee to advance it.

Asked if future discussions would involve House and Senate leadership, as well as the governor's office, Travis said, "I would hope it would involve everybody."

The bill's stall comes one month after Travis expressed optimism about being able to convince his colleagues of the bill's merit. 

But several Republicans have cited the state's ongoing efforts to secure a federal block grant for its Medicaid money rather than expanding under the Affordable Care Act. Proponents of the block grant proposal have argued the move could lead to savings and eventually allow coverage to additional Tennesseans, although critics have expressed skepticism about such claims.

Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, said it was important for Tennessee to stick with its block grant request to avoid sending mixed messages to the federal government. Hawk vowed to work with Travis on the issue in the future.

The outcome of the bill will all but assure continued criticism from Democrats of their Republican counterparts' failure to address the needs of thousands of uninsured Tennesseans. 

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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.