JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Senate kept Medicaid expansion hopes alive by passing their plan on Thursday, March 28.

Plenty of work is still ahead for lawmakers, because the House and Senate versions of Medicaid expansion differ greatly. It’s all coming down to how many Mississippians each plan will cover and the significance of a work requirement for both plans.

The Senate Plan would cover those aged 19-64 making up to 100% of the federal poverty level, which is a little more than $15,000 a year for one person. It’s estimated to cover roughly 80,000 Mississippians and has a work requirement of 30 hours a week tacked onto it.

The Senate plan will live and die with this work requirement. If the federal government does not approve it, nothing in the plan will go into effect.

The House plan would cover the same age range but includes those making up to 138% of the federal poverty level, nearly $21,000 a year for one person. The House plan would cover an estimated 200,000 Mississippians and has a work requirement of just 20 hours a week included.

Unlike the Senate plan, the House plan has a backup written into it. Section two of the House plan mandates that if the federal government does not approve the work requirement, traditional expansion would kick in.

House Minority Leader Rep. Robert Johnson (D-District 94) said the House plan is better for Mississippi workers, while Senate leaders are pushing for a more conservative option.

“The federal government says at least up into 138% of poverty, which is a single person making $25,000 a year. We ought to, we ought to be willing to do that. These are working people. These are people who are being productive. These are people who are paying into the state economy. These are people who are recirculating dollars. You want them to be healthy and continue to do that. And that’s all we’re trying to do,” said Johnson.

“If we as a society, we as a state believe that we should have individuals who are working stay in the workforce, pick up our labor force participation rate. We need to do what Sen. Blackwell and the Senate did today (March 28). This is a conservative amendment. What you saw was Mississippi take a step forward to helping each other during what is a very holy week for most of us,” said Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R-Miss.).

Both measures passed their respective chambers with a veto proof majority.