Wheeless urges local support of Arkansas Works

Wheeless urges local support of Arkansas Works

County judge asks residents to contact legislators

news@theeveningtimes.com

Fearing deep cuts in state aid if a bill to fund the state’s Medicaid program is not passed, county officials are urging residents to call their legislators to get them to vote in favor of the plan.

“I encourage every one of you to contact our state senator and state representatives and encourage them to support Arkansas Works,” said County Judge Woody Wheeless.

Arkansas Works is the state’s version of the ‘Affordable Care Act’ or ‘Obamacare.’ Governor Asa Hutchinson’s plan to expand Medicaid in Arkansas was approved earlier this month. The program uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for more than 250,000 of the state’s poorest residents.

Funding for the hybrid Medicaid expansion, which was previously known as the ‘private option” has been re-branded as ‘Arkansas Works,’ has run into Republican opposition. The Senate voted 25-10 in favor of funding the Medicaid budget, but fell two votes short of the 27 majority needed to pass it. An attempt to keep it alive with a special amendment also got voted down.

“They were a few people short to make that happen,” Wheeless said.

The measure was sent back to the Joint Budget Committee.

Legislators will convene today in Little Rock and is expected to take up Arkansas Works again.

State senators who oppose the Governor’s plan say they will announce a compromise.

Lawmakers have drafted a contingency budget if the Medicaid plan does not pass which would impose cuts to areas like education, the Department of Health, Department of Correction, Department of Community Correction, and aid for counties.

The state faces a potential $122 million shortfall if the Medicaid expansion is not re-authorized for 2017.

Wheeless said state aid to counties could see a three percent cut from the current level of $21.4 million which would affect rural counties the most.

“If it fails, we are going to lose three percent of our turnback money and we will lose three percent of our road funds,” Wheeless said. “It’s just going to trickle down. So every

county, every city is going to be negatively impacted if we don’t support this.”

[ EDITOR’S NOTE: Yesterday afternoon, the Senate passed Senate Bill 121 27- 2. The House is expected to vote on the bill this afternoon]

By Mark Randall