Utah Gov. Gary Herbert
Demonstrating once again that Obamacare hatred is fading for Republicans as an issue, one more Medicaid expansion domino appears to be falling: Utah. Though the details aren't entirely clear yet, and the administration has yet to confirm, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert says he's
reached a final deal to expand Medicaid to an additional 110,000 people.
Herbert, speaking at his monthly televised news conference on KUED, said he will get the terms in writing and meet with legislative leaders in mid-November to go over them.
The governor was originally pushing for a special legislative session, but he said it's too late in the year.
Despite the deal, the Republican governor said he's still opposed to the health care law.
"We have lemons and I'm trying to make lemonade out of it," Herbert said.
The plan is modeled on Arkansas's private option plan, and contains a higher copay for expansion enrollees than those in traditional Medicaid in the state. Herbert had also been trying to include a work search requirement in his proposal, something that the administration had
already refused to agree to when Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania tried it. News reports on the Utah deal don't make clear whether that's in the proposal or not.
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Health officials in the state stress that they still have to get a formal agreement from the administration on the plan,
including how much enrollees will pay in copayments under the proposal. Herbert still has the hurdle of getting this past a hostile Republican legislature next year. He had been toying with calling a
special session to deal with the issue, but has concluded that there isn't enough time left this year.