PIERRE, S.D. –– The importance of South Dakotans having access to quality, affordable health care was affirmed Thursday when the House of Representatives voted against moving House Joint Resolution 5002 forward, killing the latest attempt to repeal Medicaid expansion and showing respect for the will of the voters who initiated and approved it.
Since Medicaid was expanded by ballot in 2022, 30,000 hard-working South Dakotans have gained access to lifesaving health insurance. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), working alongside a broad coalition of health care professionals and advocates, led efforts in South Dakota to increase access to the state’s Medicaid program and continues to urge lawmakers to protect it. Research shows having health insurance is one of the most significant factors in whether someone survives a cancer diagnosis.
The following is a statement from David W. Benson, ACS CAN Senior State and Local Campaigns Manager:
“Lawmakers stood up for the needs of their constituents across the state and affirmed the voice of voters who passed Medicaid expansion at the ballot by stopping legislation that would have repealed expansion and magnified existing access to care issues in the state. As South Dakotans face rising health care costs, South Dakota representatives understand taking health coverage away from 30,000 more people was not the solution.
“Medicaid expansion has been in place since 2023 and has reduced South Dakota’s uninsured rate, assuring nearly 30,000 South Dakotans who previously had no affordable, quality health insurance option have access to coverage and the health care they need. It was initiated by a large coalition of South Dakotans for hard-working South Dakotans, making Medicaid access available to all those making 138 percent of the federal poverty line.
“Affordable, quality coverage is especially crucial to South Dakotans living in rural areas and to the rural health care systems serving them. We are relieved House members saw the value in this program and stood up for their constituents by protecting it.”