The lawsuit by the Alaska State Legislature toward the governor’s move to expand Medicaid will continue after no action was taken in an executive session Monday.
Nikiski’s Representative Mike Chenault detailed why he feels it necessary to continue forward.
Rep. Chenault(R-District 29): “This is not about stopping Medicaid expansion, what this is about is the process, not only the process that the governor used to enact the Medicaid expansion but more the legislative appropriation authority that the legislature has to appropriate money.”
Chenault says Governor Bill Walker’s move could set a troubling precedent if the legislature allows Alaska’s constitution to be broken by skipping the legislative process to allocate state funds.
Legislative Democrats have criticized the majority for the lawsuit, stating it is wasteful and that Alaskans need the expansion.
The expansion, which took effect September 1, 2015, is estimated that it will help 40,000 Alaskans and create 4,000 jobs.
The federal monies that the governor accepted are set to be fully covered by the federal government for this fiscal year but that federal match will be slowly scaled back to 90 percent in 2020.
The case will now head to the Alaska Superior Court where arguments from both sides will be heard.