Gov. Asa Hutchinson said today that he’ll ask lawmakers to fund the private option–Arkansas’s unique version of Medicaid expansion, funded by the Affordable Care Act—through 2016 but also to create a task force to come up with a new plan for 2017 and beyond. NFIB/Arkansas State Director Sylvester Smith responds:
“Today, Governor Hutchinson shared his healthcare vision with all Arkansans. NFIB has been leading the fight against Obamacare since the legislation was first proposed in 2010. After the measure was passed we filed the lawsuit, NFIB v. Sebelius, which lead the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the requirement for states to expand their Medicaid programs.
“On behalf of our 4,000 dues paying members across the state, we want to thank Governor Hutchinson for taking the time to truly evaluate the factors that led us to the creation of the private option and to take a hard look the pros and cons of continuing the program.
“NFIB is a member-driven organization. Over the coming weeks we will be talking with our members about the various healthcare proposals at the capitol, and we will follow their lead, as we always do.”
