Over the last week and a half, State Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) has spoken out about the possibility of the state of Alabama expanding Medicaid rolls, which is an idea up until this point that most Republican lawmakers have vehemently opposed.
In remarks to ABC 33/40 earlier this month, Waggoner said the legislature was going to take a “closer look” at the issue this year. In an appearance on Alabama Public Television last Friday, Waggoner clarified his remarks by saying that was not an endorsement of the policy.
In an appearance Wednesday on Huntsville radio’s WVNN, Waggoner acknowledged a bed tax had been mentioned as a means to help finance Medicaid expansion, a move that could mean federal dollars coming into the state to prop up the state’s ailing hospitals.
“That’s a rumor in Montgomery,” Waggoner said on “The Dale Jackson Show.” “That may be a possibility. That’s part of the research and the study that I’m talking about. I’ve never ever waffled on my opinion about Medicaid. I’m just saying let’s sit down like grown men and women and look at it and see if we can prevent these rural hospitals from closing.”
The Vestavia Hills Republican said he was not sure whether or not it was an actual possibility.
“I don’t know if it is a possibility – that’s part of the studying we sought out from day one,” he said. “It’s just something we need to look at. I don’t know if that’s a good option or not.”
“All I’m saying is grown men and women need to sit down and look at it and see what we can do to prevent the closing of rural hospitals,” he added. “All sick people in Alabama do not live close to a hospital. And I don’t feel like they need to travel to Mobile or Huntsville or Tuscaloosa. We need to keep some of these rural hospitals open.”
Host Dale Jackson pressed Waggoner on other options, to which Waggoner replied there might be no other options but that it was something for policymakers to explore.
“It may be the only option,” Waggoner replied. “It’s not probably a good option. We’re going to rely primarily on Medicaid. It may not be a good option. Medicaid is eating up our general fund the way it is now. It may not be a good option. My comments are let’s see if there is any other options.”
“[I] don’t know if a bed tax is an option or not,” he added.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
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