Rep. Donny Lambeth on potential delay in Medicaid expansion

COMING BACK SAYING, DAN, I'LL

TAKE A LITTLE RAIN OVER 100

DEGREES. YOU TOO. THANKS,

SCOTT.

>> TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR

STATE LAWMAKERS TO REACH A DEAL

ON THIS YEAR'S BUDGET ALLOWING

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION NORTH

CAROLINIANS TO GET HEALTH

INSURANCE THIS FALL. THEY NEED

TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON THAT

BUDGET BY AUGUST 31ST. THAT'S

JUST ABOUT A WEEK AND A 2 DAY

AWAY YESTERDAY ON WRAL DURING

OUR 7 O'CLOCK NEWS, THE STATE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

SERVICES SECRETARY KODY KINSLEY

SAID IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY

DIFFICULT TO ROLL OUT MEDICAID

BEFORE DECEMBER IF THEY DON'T

REACH A DEAL BY THE END OF THIS

MONTH. JOINING US NOW LIVE TO

GIVE US AN UPDATE ON WHERE

THINGS STAND AS REPRESENTATIVE

DONNY LAMBETH, ONE OF THE TOP

BUDGET WRITERS AND VICE-CHAIR

OF THE HOUSE HEALTH COMMITTEE.

GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR

JOINING US.

>> AND THAT GOOD. THANK YOU.

REPRESENTATIVE. YOU HAVE BEEN

A SUPPORTER, A PROPONENT OF

MEDICAID EXPANSION. WHY HAVEN'T

LAWMAKERS? BUT JUST ON CALLS

TO SEPARATE MEDICAID EXPANSION

FROM THE BUDGET SO THAT THIS

PIECE CAN MOVE FORWARD FOR ALL

THOSE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.

>> WELL, THAT WAS PART OF THE

AGREEMENT REACHED WAY BACK IN

FEBRUARY. AND I THINK THE

LEADERSHIP, WHICH WOULD PREFER

TO STICK TO THAT DEAL. THERE

WERE OTHER ASPECTS OF IT THAT

IT COULD NEED REFORM A NUMBER

OF OTHER THINGS THAT WERE

INCLUDED IN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE

CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO GET A

BUDGET DONE HERE IN A FEW

WEEKS. AND I'M NOT THAT

PARTICULARLY THAT CONCERN THAT

WILL MISS OUT ON THE MEDICAID

PROGRAM GETTING IMPLEMENTED

FAIRLY QUICKLY.

>> IT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THEY'RE

SO MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD I'M

SURE LIKE TO GET THEIR

PROCEDURES OR THEIR MEDICATION

OR WHATEVER THEY COULD BENEFIT

FROM BY HAVING THAT HEALTH

INSURANCE BY OCTOBER. INSTEAD

OF HAVING TO WAIT UNTIL

DECEMBER. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND

WHY PEOPLE HAVE A TOUGH TIME

MAKING SENSE OF WHY YOUR UNION

COLLEAGUES ARE NOT DECOUPLING

MEDICAID EXPANSION FROM THE

BUDGET SINCE THAT DEAL HAS

ALREADY BEEN MADE ON EXPANSION

MONTHS AGO.

>> I THINK AND I CERTAINLY

SYMPATHIZE WITH THEM. AND AS

YOU MAY KNOW, I WORKED ON

MEDICAID EXPANSION FOR 8 YEARS.

IT TOOK A LONG TIME EVEN GET TO

THE POINT. THE TO INCLUDE IT

AND PASS IT AND A FEW MORE

WEEKS. I DON'T THINK MAKE THAT

MUCH DIFFERENCE. WORLD WERE

ABLE TO GO BACK IN WHAT THEY

CALL RE DETERMINATION AND PICK

UP THOSE ONCE WE SIGNED THE

BUDGET INTO LAW.

>> YOU MENTIONED AND I JUST

WANT TO BRING THIS BACK TO

GETTING THAT BUDGET PASSED.

SO YOU THINK THAT THIS WILL BE

ABLE TO HAPPEN THE NEXT COUPLE

OF WEEKS?

>> THEY WERE VERY WE'VE BEEN

WORKING. OBVIOUSLY THOSE YOU

KNOW, THIS IS A LONG YEAR.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE LONG

YEAR FOR THE STATE, RARELY DO

WE MEET THE DEADLINE OF JUNE

30TH. I DON'T LIKE THAT.

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WE.

WE GET THE BUDGET DONE AND GET

OUT OF TOWN. I WOULD. BUT WE

ARE VERY CLOSE. WE'VE BEEN

WORKING HARD FOR THE LAST FEW

WEEKS AND I THINK RIGHT NOW

THE SCHEDULE II IS THAT THE

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER, THE 11TH

WE FINALIZE AND VOTE OUT THE

BUDGET SO WE CAN MOVE ON WITH

NOT ONLY MEDICAID EXPANSION,

BUT THE MANY.

TREMENDOUS ASPECTS OF WHAT'S

IN THIS BUDGET FOR THE PEOPLE

ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA.

>> SO SAYS THE WEEK OF

SEPTEMBER, 11TH THAT IS THAT

WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IS WHEN

WE CAN EXPECT THAT THAT BUDGET

DEAL TO BE REACHED AND THEN

MAYBE DECEMBER IS WHEN WE CAN

SEE THAT MEDICAID EXPANSION

GOING THROUGH.

>> WELL, THE GOOD THING ABOUT

IT, THE FANS HAVE BEEN WORKING

WITH US AND SECRETARY KINSLEY

DONE A GREAT JOB OF KIND OF

KEEPING THEM INFORMED. I THINK

WE STILL HAVE THE CHANCE OF

MEETING EVERYONE WE CAN SHOW

THAT WE'RE MOVING IN THAT

DIRECTION. IT TAKES ABOUT 2

WEEKS. ONCE WE REACH THE

AGREEMENT FOR THE BUDGET, BE

PRINTED TO GO TO THE MEDIA, GET

OUR CAUCUS. BUT I THINK IT IN

BY LABOR DAY WE'LL WHAT'S IN

THE BUDGET AND PRETTY MUCH WILL

JUST BE A CEREMONIAL MOVING IT

FORWARD FOR A FINAL VOTE.

>> REPRESENTATIVE LINDA, THANK

YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US HERE