A proposal for Louisiana to tap into the federal health overhaul money available for expanding Medicaid has been steered to the Senate budget committee for review.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A proposal for Louisiana to tap into the federal health overhaul money available for expanding Medicaid has been steered to the Senate budget committee for review.
The measure would require the state health department to seek federal approval for a program using the expansion dollars to provide private insurance.
The bill by New Orleans Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, a Democrat, has received the backing of the Senate's health committee. It was reassigned Monday to the Senate Finance Committee.
The measure seeks to provide health insurance coverage to adults making up to 138 percent of the poverty level - less than $32,000 for a family of four - as allowed under the Affordable Care Act. The federal government would pay for most of the coverage.
Gov. Bobby Jindal opposes the expansion.