State Medicaid Expansion Caucus
The State Medicaid Expansion Caucus (SMEC) was launched in 2014 to highlight the need for every state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In February 2023, Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09), Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Don Davis (NC-01) relaunched the caucus for the 118th Congress.
More than a decade after Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, it is past time that Congress remind states that the federal government is serious about expanding Medicaid in every state and providing health coverage for the most vulnerable Americans, even if it requires pursuing alternatives to state expansion.
Last active nearly a decade ago, the SMEC will work to build support and urgency for expanding Medicaid in the 11 states that have failed to reach a consensus to do so. As a result of state resistance, nearly 2.2 million Americans remain in the Medicaid coverage gap, leaving them without access to lifesaving care. These Americans are non-elderly, low-income adults, who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private health insurance. Communities of color and rural Americans are disproportionately represented in the coverage gap and uninsured population.
Medicaid makes health care more affordable and accessible for millions of people with chronic conditions, cancers, disabilities, pregnancies, and other health needs. The SMEC Caucus will lead the charge in Congress to expand Medicaid across the nation.
Co-Chairs:
- Steve Cohen (TN-09)
- Hank Johnson (GA-04)
- Don Davis (NC-01)
Members:
- Jasmine Crockett (TX-30)
- Lloyd Doggett (TX-37)
- Sylvia Garcia (TX-29)
- Wiley Nickel (NC-13)
- Deborah K. Ross (NC-02)
- Marc Veasey (TX-33)