Ellington

Lawmakers were unable to agree yesterday on a bill proposing a tax on hospital beds to help fund Medicaid, reports WXVT15, missing their Monday night deadline.

Nonetheless, the debate is going forward due to legislators filing a "dummy bill" sending it back for more negotiation.

At issue is the amount of proposed revenue the tax should generate. The House proposes a $45 million tax, with the balance of the state's Medicaid shortfall funded by an increased cigarette tax, while Gov. Haley Barbour is pushing the Senate for a $90 million hospital tax.

House members are also considering whether the federal stimulus package could defray any of the state's Medicaid costs.

The Mississippi Hospital Association supports the House version of the bill. Last year, 43 hospitals sued Barbour and the Division of Medicaid for injunctive relief, declaring Barbour's 2008 $90 million hospital tax plan unconstitutional. They did not pursue the suit when the legislature used other funds to finance the shortfall, although a judge ruled in their favor.