LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- There could be a vote in the state Senate in late August on a bill to extend Medicaid health coverage to thousands of un-insured working poor people. As Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta reports, that’s despite Governor Rick Snyder’s call for a vote earlier than that.
The governor has said waiting 'til late August could jeopardize the state’s ability to get federal approval, and then sign up people in time for coverage to begin when the new federal healthcare law takes effect in January.
But Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville says too many Republicans oppose the legislation in its current form, and changes are needed for it to pass.
“I think it’s going to be things that would appeal more to a conservative group than anything else," he says.
But there are still conservatives who say any expansion of the Medicaid program – and anything that aids enacting the federal healthcare law – are unacceptable.
For the Michigan Public Radio Network, I’m Rick Pluta at the state Capitol.