In Montana, Bipartisan Effort Muscles Medicaid Expansion Bill To House Floor

The Associated Press: Montana House Blasts Medicaid Expansion Bill To Floor For Debate
The Montana House of Representatives voted Wednesday to blast a Republican lawmaker's Medicaid expansion bill to the floor after two hours of back and forth over procedural rules as conservative Republicans attempted to derail the measure. Eleven Republicans joined all 41 Democrats to bring the measure out of the House Human Services Committee by a 52-48 vote. (Baumann, 4/9)

Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune: Medicaid Bill Lives To Reach House Floor
After two days of maneuvers aimed at killing the bill, the last Medicaid expansion measure still alive will come to the House floor for debate Thursday. The House voted 52-48 on Wednesday to blast Sen. Ed Buttrey's Medicaid expansion bill out of committee after tense discussion on rules, on deals and even on the meaning of the word "and." ... 11 Republicans ... joined 41 Democrats to bring up the bill for debate. ... Senate Bill 405 would help close the gap between those covered by Medicaid and those eligible for subsidized insurance coverage by raising the income threshold for Medicaid. The bill makes use of federal funds and calls for payments from plan users. (Inbody, 4/8)

Helena (Mont.) Independent Record: Medicaid Expansion: Chuck Hunter Gets 51 Lawmakers On His Side
Republican state Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman, called it “law of the jungle.” Democratic House Minority Leader Chuck Hunter said it’s just a matter of interpreting the House rules. Hunter, however, was able to muster 52 House members who agreed with him, so he won the argument Wednesday, as 41 Democrats and 11 Republicans used -- and interpreted -- the rules to their advantage to advance one of the biggest bills of the 2015 Legislature. The bill is Senate Bill 405, which would expand Medicaid in Montana to offer government-funded health coverage to an estimated 45,000 low-income citizens over the next four years. (Dennison, 4/8)

Montana Standard: Medicaid-Expansion Bill Blasted To The House Floor, After Lengthy Rules Fight
In a rare display of raw political power at the Montana Legislature, all House Democrats and 11 House Republicans Wednesday muscled a Medicaid-expansion bill to the House floor, where it will be debated and voted on Thursday. Through a half-dozen votes spread over two hours, the bipartisan voting bloc repeatedly formed a 52-vote majority to overturn actions of House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, and force the decisive vote that removed Senate Bill 405 from the House committee that voted Tuesday to kill the measure. House Minority Leader Chuck Hunter, D-Helena, led the effort, saying it’s time for the House to have a “good debate (on this bill) and vote it up or down.” (Dennison, 4/9)

Kaiser Health News: Montana Moderates Revive Medicaid Expansion
Moderate Republicans have outmaneuvered conservatives in the Montana legislature to give a Medicaid expansion bill here a real chance of passing. Its prospects have been in doubt since the legislative session began in January. The bill faces a crucial debate and vote on the state House floor Thursday. If the Republicans who joined with Democrats to overcome attempts to kill it don’t stray, it has the votes to pass. Pending the governor’s signature and approval from the federal government, the bill would make Montana the 29th state – plus the District of Columbia — to expand Medicaid. (Whitney, 4/9)

The Associated Press: Nebraska Medicaid Expansion Proposal Defeated Once Again
A third attempt to expand Nebraska Medicaid coverage under the federal health care law was defeated Wednesday by conservative lawmakers who cast it as an unaffordable expansion of government. Lawmakers voted 28-16 to send the bill to the bottom of the Legislature's agenda, effectively killing it for the rest of this year. (Shulte, 4/8)

Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star: Medicaid Expansion Dead For The Year
Nebraskans who may have depended on state senators this year to expand Medicaid saw a swift end Wednesday to their hopes. Supporters of expansion couldn’t even hang on for an eight-hour filibuster. The Medicaid Redesign Act (LB472) essentially died after senators failed to adopt an amendment on a 22-24 vote. The amendment was necessary to change the makeup of the proposed Medicaid Redesign Task Force and ensure the bill was constitutional. (Young, 4/8)

Health News Florida: Surgeon General Gets Rough Treatment In Senate
In another sign of growing tension about a Senate plan to expand health coverage for low-income Floridians, a Senate committee Tuesday tabled the confirmation of state Surgeon General John Armstrong after questioning him about the issue. The move by the Senate Health Policy Committee came a day after Gov. Rick Scott --- Armstrong's boss --- opposed the plan to use federal money to provide health coverage to an estimated 800,000 Floridians through a private insurance system. (Saunders, 4/8)