By Rod Guajardo & Vershal Hogan

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — As the three-month Mississippi legislative session ended Thursday, local legislators said Medicaid expansion and the budget were things they put high atop their priority lists to accomplish.

But a special session will need to be called before July 1, when the state’s next budget year starts, to keep Medicaid alive beyond that date — with or without expansion.

Many state agencies have to be reauthorized every few years, and Medicaid was up for review this session. Bills to reauthorize and pay for Medicaid died amid partisan bickering over whether to expand the program under the health law that President Obama signed in 2010. Democrats are for expansion; Republicans are against it.

Medicaid is a government health insurance program for the needy, and it’s funded by state and federal money. The Mississippi program enrolls more than 640,000 in a state of about 3 million people.

Democrats say up to 300,000 more people could receive health coverage if the state expands Medicaid to people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $15,000 for one person. In Mississippi now, the income cutoff to enroll is about $5,500 for one person, and the state program does not cover many able-bodied adults, regardless of income.

Rep. Sam Mims (R-McComb) said he was not happy the state Medicaid division was not reauthorized and funded during the session.

“If we do not get this issue resolved, there will be no Medicaid as of July 1,” Mims said. “I am hoping that a break from Jackson for a few months will make them realize how important it is to reauthorize the division of Medicaid and keep those services available. It doesn’t only affect the recipients of Medicaid, but it affects all the providers in southwest Mississippi and throughout the state, so this is a very serious issue.”

Rep. Robert Johnson (D-Natchez) said that even though the Medicaid program is in limbo at the moment, the session was a healthy start to finding an ultimate solution for the program.

“There had to be some discussions about expansion and some discussion about what we have to do to protect our hospitals and our poor and working people,” Johnson said.

Sen. Kelvin Butler (D-Magnolia) said Medicaid expansion is something he knew would be difficult to pass, but also something that would be beneficial to residents in the long run.

“I think cooler heads will prevail and expand Medicaid because that’s something that just needs to happen,” Butler said. “That was my No. 1 thing to try and get to happen, and I’m going to do everything I can to help get that done.”

Lawmakers approved most of a $5.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2014 and Johnson, who serves on the house appropriations committee, said of note was the fact that the state had more money this year than had been expected and so was able to do more.

“It was by and large a good year for appropriations,” he said. “We still don’t have enough money to do everything we wanted to, but we were able to do more this year and keep nearly every agency at level funding.”

Mims said he was very pleased with the “very conservative, very strong” $5.6 billion budget the legislature ultimately adopted.

“We were actually able to save around $240-$250 million that we will have for next session, and as we go forward I think it is always important to have some money saved in case something happens with our economy.”

Sen. Melanie Sojourner (R-Natchez) said she was pleased with the session overall — especially with the passing of Senate Bill 2907, which aims to entice oil companies to further develop the Tuscaloosa marine shale, an oil play in southwest Mississippi, through tax incentives.

“I think that was a key win for the State of Mississippi,” Sojourner said. “We’re all real eager and anxious to see what happens with the Tuscaloosa shale even though it still has some challenges.

“Overall, I think it was a good and productive session.”

The Tuscaloosa shale is an unconventional oil play that has been known about for years but could not be developed because the technology to exploit the shale did not exist until recent years.

Mims said the severance tax bill is crucial for southwest Mississippi.

“We need to make sure the counties as a whole are taken care of, but this legislation will show the oil companies and the companies that are interested in doing business in southwest Mississippi that we want them here and we want this to work,” he said.

Bryant is expected to sign the bill early next week, Sojourner said.