Governor Rick Snyder says he wants lawmakers to reach an agreement in the coming weeks on a plan to overhaul and expand Medicaid.
As the Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, the top Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature publicly argued Friday over the issue.
The state’s four legislative leaders appeared together at a meeting of business leaders and politicians on Mackinac Island. They’re in the middle of discussions over whether and how to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of Michiganders.
Many Republicans in the state House say they’re not willing to expand the program without some big changes.
House Republican leader Jase Bolger says that includes limiting able-bodied adults to four years on Medicaid.
“Government assistance is not an entitlement, government assistance should not be a lifestyle,” he says. “Government assistance should be a temporary hand up.”
But Governor Snyder and many lawmakers say the four-year cap could lead to more uncompensated care.
