Medicaid is on its way to Mower County.

Despite a Republican bill to repeal Early Expansion Medicaid, Mower County Human Services Director Julie Stevermer and her staff will soon start implementing the new expanded health care program, along with all the 87 counties in Minnesota.

While many claim Medicaid would tear Minnesota’s health system apart, it will actually save money in Health and Human Services.

“It’s a cost savings to be able to do this in Minnesota,” said Julie Stevermer, director of Human Services.

The bill to ban the legislation passed in a House committe earlier this week, but Gov. Mark Dayton has vowed to veto the bill.

Dayton signed an executive order earlier this month to expand Medicaid to 950,000 low-income residents.

The Medicaid expansion is expected to cost Minnesota $384 million in order to get the federal matching funds, but in the end Dayton projects a net savings of $32 million for the state.

The state cost for the new medical assistance is about equal to the cost of General Assistance Medical Care and Minnesota Care, which are both ending. But Medicaid will include a $1.1 billion federal match starting in the next biennium in 2012-13.

About 12,000 currently uninsured Minnesotans will receive care, according to Stevermer. Medicaid will also inherit the 51,000 people who receive MinnesotaCare and the 32,000 people who receive GAMC.

Before the change takes effect March 1, Human Services employees must transfer existing GAMC and MinnsotaCare recipients to the new program.

“This obviously is going to create some more work,” Stevermer said.

—Reporter Amanda Lillie contributed to this report.