LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- The state House has approved a plan to overhaul and expand Medicaid in Michigan.
As Michigan Public Radio’s Jake Neher reports, the bill passed the House with bipartisan support.
State lawmakers have been debating for months whether to add hundreds of thousands of Michiganders to the Medicaid rolls under the federal healthcare law.
Democratic state Representative Brandon Dillon praised Republican House leadership for taking a vote on the bill.
“This isn’t just a philosophical argument about the size and scope of government," he says. "This is a bill that will immediately impact people in a very positive way.”
Governor Rick Snyder called for the Medicaid expansion as a way to improve health in Michigan and save the state money. But many Republicans say they’re not willing to go along with an expansion of the government’s role in health care.
The bill now goes to the Republican-dominated state Senate.
For the Michigan Public Radio Network, I’m Jake Neher at the state Capitol.