MACKINAC ISLAND – Officials in the administration of Governor Rick Snyder are saying they will make a push to complete action on the expansion of Medicaid eligibility before the Legislature leaves for the summer in mid-June.

Snyder himself has told reporters that is a priority in interviews, and a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) said the legislative leaders have agreed that resolving Medicaid eligibility should be one issue completed before the Legislature breaks.

The reason: It will be easier getting federal waivers for any issues the state raises in its proposal during the summer, than it would be if lawmakers approve the expansion in the fall, just a few months before the federally-approved Affordable Care Act takes effect.

Budget Director John Nixon said officials hope to convince lawmakers it is a decided advantage to pass the proposal before the Legislature breaks. That could be a challenge. Rep. Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake), chair of the House committee looking at the issue (HB 4714 ), said earlier this week his goal was to report the bill from the committee, but envisioned further action coming in the fall.

Even before the meeting on the Island began, another top administration official, speaking on background, said he was optimistic the Legislature would approve the expansion before it broke in June.

The expansion would permit individuals with incomes of as much as 133 percent of the federal poverty level to be eligible for Medicaid. Currently, single adults whose incomes are about 40 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for Medicaid.

Under the ACA, the federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost to cover the expanded number of individuals — estimated to be more than 400,000 in Michigan — for the first three years after expansion takes effect. Eventually, the state would have to pay 10 percent of the added cost.

A proposal expanding eligibility is currently pending in the House Michigan Competitiveness Committee, and it would pull Michigan out of the expansion if the federal government stops paying the full cost.

However, the House proposal also requires that a person getting Medicaid is limited to being on the program for 48 months.

Snyder met with federal officials to discuss what the proposal contains several weeks ago. One administration official, speaking on background, said because there was nothing approved in law, the federal administration was non-committal.

However, the official said, it was also clear the federal government was cool to the idea of a 48-month limit on benefits.

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