Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said Thursday he plans to unilaterally accept additional federal and Mental Health Trust Fund Authority money to expand Medicaid in Alaska.
Here are six things to know about Gov. Walker's decision.
1. Gov. Walker, a Republican-turned-independent, said earlier this week he doesn't want to wait any longer to offer health coverage to the roughly 42,000 people that are projected to be eligible under the expansion, according to The New York Times.
"Thousands of Alaskans and more than 150 organizations, including chambers of commerce, local hospitals and local governments, have been waiting long enough for Medicaid expansion," Gov. Walker said in a prepared statement. "It's time to expand Medicaid so thousands of our friends, coworkers, neighbors and family members don’t have to make the choice between healthcare or bankruptcy."
2. Gov. Walker said Medicaid expansion would reduce state spending by $6.6 million in the first year, and save more than $100 million in state general funds in the first six years.
3. He projects that expanding Medicaid would provide healthcare to more than 20,000 working Alaskans in its first year. According to The New York Times, he said he hoped that newly eligible people could start enrolling in September.
4. The decision comes after the Alaska Legislature earlier this year rejected Gov. Walker's efforts to expand Medicaid through the state budget process, according to Alaska Dispatch News. Lawmakers adjourned without allowing a vote on a separate expansion bill.
5. Gov. Walker sent a letter Thursday to the state's Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, giving it a required 45-day notice of his intention to accept the federal expansion funds.
6. In response to Gov. Walker's request the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee could choose to do one of the following within the next 45 days: recommend that the state accept the federal and Mental Health Trust Fund Authority money as outlined in the governor's letter; recommend the state not accept that money; or provide no response. Additionally, during the 45-day period, the legislature could call itself into a special session to address Medicaid expansion.
Governors and legislatures in 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., have already made the decision to accept Medicaid expansion.