Gov. Haslam says he'll decide on Medicaid expansion by Christmas

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Bloomberg, Jeff Kowalsky

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam expects to make a decision on expanding Medicaid in Tennessee by Christmas.

Eleanor Kennedy

Staff Reporter- Nashville Business Journal

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Gov. Bill Haslam expects to decide what Medicaid expansion could look like in Tennessee by the end of the year.

After a TennCare budget hearing Friday, Haslam told reporters that he's been in talks with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and should have a decision on expanding Medicaid coverage by Christmas, The Associated Press reports.

Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that Medicaid expansion, as called for by the Affordable Care Act, would be optional for states, Haslam has said he's interested in expanding the program but in a unique format for Tennessee. Under the government's model, Tennessee would have received $1.4 billion in federal funds to help cover 180,000 uninsured people, according to the AP.

Several states that initially chose not to expand the program have since done so, including Wyoming, which released its own plan just last week.

Details of a potential Tennessee alternative have been scarce. In Wyoming, however, those earning 100 percent to 139 percent of the federal poverty level would pay monthly premiums, ranging from $20 to $50, according to the AP.

Under a law passed this year, Haslam's eventual proposal will have to be approved by the Republican-dominated state Legislature, which has been skeptical of expansion plans.

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Eleanor Kennedy covers Nashville's health care and technology industries.