Arkansas Senate OKs bill keeping hybrid Medicaid expansion
LITTLE ROCK—The Arkansas Senate on Tuesday approved keeping the state's hybrid Medicaid expansion another year after Republican efforts to repeal and replace the federal health law that created the program failed in Congress.
The state Senate voted 27-1 for the budget for the state's Medicaid program that includes the hybrid expansion. The bill that now heads to the state House had failed to get the three-fourths majority vote needed on two separate votes Monday.
The top Republican in the Senate said that after the repeal effort failed in Washington, Tuesday's vote showed the focus in Arkansas is on how to reform the expansion program and not ending it.
"I think the fight about the continuation or the existence of it is something that's really in the rear view mirror now," Senate Majority Leader Jim Hendren said after the vote.
Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2017/mar/29/arkansas-senate-oks-bill-keeping-hybrid-medicaid-expansion/667463/