Michigan Senate Approves Expansion Of Medicaid

The vote was a victory for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who pushed for passage, bucking the sentiments of many in his party. It is now all but certain that nearly half a million residents will gain coverage when Michigan joins the list of states opting to expand the program under the federal health law.

The Wall Street Journal: Michigan Senate Votes To Expand Medicaid
Michigan lawmakers voted to extend Medicaid eligibility to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults in the state after a late legislative session Tuesday, in a boost for the Obama administration as it seeks to roll out its health law this fall. The vote was a victory for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who had struggled to persuade GOP legislators in his state to implement a major provision of the health law, which faced strong opposition from his party. The GOP-led state Senate voted 20-18 to expand the Medicaid program in line with the provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act (Radnofsky and Kesling, 8/27).

The New York Times: Medicaid Expansion Battle In Michigan Ends In Passage
Mr. Snyder's preferred bill — one he had lobbied for intensely for months — initially fell short by one vote, but the governor salvaged a deal hours later. The vote in the Republican-controlled Senate was 20 to 18, with only 8 Republicans in favor. The Michigan House, which had earlier approved a similar measure, will need to vote on the Senate version before Mr. Snyder can sign the bill (Davey, 8/27).

Politico: Michigan Moves Toward Medicaid Change
It’s now a near-certainty that a version of Medicaid expansion will land on the desk of Snyder, who had already broken with the GOP base to support the Obamacare program. Supporters say expansion will provide nearly half a million Michiganders with basic health insurance coverage. The federal dollars will also reach a state dealing with the fallout from Detroit’s bankruptcy (Millman and Cheney, 8/27).

Detroit Free Press: Medicaid Expansion Passes After Heated Politicking; 470,000 More Michiganders To Get Coverage
It took two votes and eight hours of mostly closed-door politicking and vote wrangling, but the state Senate approved a plan late Tuesday to expand Medicaid health care coverage to 470,000 low-income Michiganders. The historic 20-18 vote makes Michigan the 25th state in the nation to go ahead with the Medicaid expansion as part of the federal Affordable Care Act, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Five more states are debating the issue and 21 have decided not to go ahead with the expansion (Gray, 8/27).

The Associated Press:: GOP-Led Mich. Senate Approves Medicaid Expansion
The GOP governor, who strongly supports Medicaid expansion, had struggled to win backing in a Senate where many conservatives opposed to "Obamacare" have philosophical objections to expanding government. "It's about helping 470,000 Michiganders have a better life," Snyder said during a Capitol news conference after the vote. "Going to the ER for your health care, while we have wonderful people in the ER, is not a good solution" (Eggert, 8/27).