Overview
- Invoking his constitutional power, the governor ordered lawmakers back on Nov. 17 to take up Medicaid funding, though he cannot compel a vote.
- With the program still on 2024 funding levels, provider reimbursement rates were cut on Oct. 1 after budget talks collapsed, affecting coverage for nearly one in three residents.
- A state judge recently issued a temporary halt to parts of the cuts in a lawsuit brought by families of children with autism.
- The General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division estimates about $319 million is needed for the rebase, compared with roughly $190 million in separate House and Senate bills after $600 million was previously appropriated.
- Republican leaders say Medicaid is financed into 2026 and call the crisis manufactured, while Stein says law blocks use of the Medicaid Contingency Fund without a new appropriation and urges a one-time change.