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| Senate Republican Lawmakers Voice Objection to Medicaid Early Enrollment | ||||||||||||
(St. Paul) Senator David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) and Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) held a morning news conference Wednesday to voice their concerns about Governor Mark Dayton’s Executive Order to expand Medicaid services to a reported 95,000 people.
Senator Hann, Chair the Senate Health and Human Services Budget and Policy Committee, raised specific concerns about the lack of requirements in place to receive the government-subsidized benefits.
“There is legitimate cause for concern when actions are taken to add 95,000 people to any entitlement program. The policy in place removes all residency requirements and removes nearly all asset limits that were previously used to determine eligibility. This is a big step in the wrong direction,” said Senator Hann.
Early enrollment in to Medicaid has been estimated to cost $26.5 million from the General Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2011, depending on the time that it could be implemented. Upon Governor Dayton’s Executive Order, a far larger number of enrollees will be transferred into the program, leaving the state with an estimated net cost of $384 million.
“The dollar amount is staggering, bearing in mind that the state is running a $6.2 billion deficit and the country is well over $13 trillion in debt,” Hann added. “This is not a fiscally responsible policy.”
Senator Warren Limmer, Chair of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, questioned the constitutionality of Dayton’s Executive Order.
“On December 29th, I sent Governor Dayton a letter questioning the legality of this unilateral executive implementation. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this order is the executive branch mandating policies that only the legislature has the jurisdiction to enact,” said Senator Limmer.
