WASHINGTON — The House Republican health care bill has competition from another GOP group, governors with their own proposal on how to overhaul Medicaid for low-income people. They’re hoping Republican senators will find their ideas more persuasive.
It’s a gradual approach, with additional options for states. It’s likely to involve more federal spending than the House bill, but also keep more people covered. In the end, though, the governors are still talking about fundamental change.
Four GOP governors are pushing the plan, saying they represent most of the 33 Republican state chief executives. There’s no inkling that Democratic governors are involved.
Medicaid is a federal-state program that covers more than 70 million low-income people, about 1 in 5 Americans. It will be a central issue in the Senate health care debate.
