Vote YES on Amendment I.
by Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen; Sen. Casey Crabtree, Madison; and Rep. Will Mortenson, Ft. Pierre
Amendment I is about making sure that South Dakotans get to make their own decisions about how to spend state money. It would NOT automatically end Medicaid expansion. It would let South Dakotans make that decision.
In 2022, voters approved Medicaid expansion. The state has honored that vote, and today about 30,000 South Dakotans receive coverage through the program.
A major reason voters supported expansion was a promise from the federal government: Washington would pay 90% of the cost, while South Dakota would pay 10%. Amendment I says that as long as Washington keeps that promise, nothing changes.
But what if Washington changes the deal? Think about any service you buy at a set price. If the company raises the price, you get to decide whether the service is still worth the cost. South Dakota deserves the same choice.
For every 10% of Medicaid expansion costs shifted from Washington to South Dakota, our state would have to find about $36 million more each year. That could mean higher taxes or cuts elsewhere. Our state has many important needs. We fund schools, law enforcement, nursing homes, and services for people with disabilities. Medicaid expansion for able-bodied, working-age adults should not have a guaranteed place at the front of the line if Washington stops paying its promised share.
Amendment I does not prevent South Dakota from continuing Medicaid expansion. It simply ends the constitutional requirement if federal funding falls below 90%. Legislators and voters could then decide whether expansion is still worth the new cost. Our state has participated in Medicaid programs for more than fifty years, without having it in the constitution.
South Dakotans made the decision to expand Medicaid. If Washington changes the deal, South Dakotans should make the next decision too.
Haha… so if federal funding pays for only 88 percent of Medicaid expansion, we will take a pass? What an idiotic idea.
If Tony Venhuizen wants to pay off 88 percent of your mortgage, are you going to tell him to get lost? I didn’t think so.