AZ House passes Medicaid expansion in Brewer win

[Zorro]

Source: AP

The Arizona House passed an $8.8 billion state budget that includes Medicaid expansion early Thursday and puts Gov. Jan Brewer one Senate vote away from a huge political victory as she embraces a signature part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.

A newly formed coalition of Democrats and GOP moderates forced the budget and Medicaid expansion proposal to move in the Arizona Senate and House during a day filled with debate. The Senate took a break after giving its initial approval Wednesday afternoon, while the House toiled into the night as conservative Republicans railed against the Medicaid proposal and accused members of their party who supported Brewer of being turncoats before taking a final vote that ended after 1:30 a.m. PDT.

The Senate is set to take up the budget and Brewer's contentious Medicaid proposal for its final vote sometime after 9 a.m. Thursday. Votes last month and Wednesday show it has more than enough votes to pass and a budget could be on Brewer's desk by the afternoon.

The action means Brewer, a Republican, is close to securing a huge victory that will provide health insurance to an additional 300,000 poor Arizonans by embracing a key part of the Affordable Care Act. The expansion is optional under last year's Supreme Court decision upholding the law, and many Republican governors rejected it.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/az-house-passes-medicaid-expansion-092730926.html

[AllyCat]

1. wow. So this is what happens when you have "moderate" Republicans in your state legis.

In Wisconsin, we have one "sometimes moderate" Republican. The rest are extreme, right-wing Tea baggers that passed horrible legislation against women and children this week, and refused to expand medicaid earlier this year. Our state is screwed. Maybe there is some hope for AZ? I'm astonished Brewer wants this.

[mac56]

2. Freeper mass head explosion in three.. two.. one..

[timdog44]

3. Some republican governors show some sense.

A plus for Jan. Now Obama won't have to wag his finger in her face.

[Gman]

4. Brewer is also smarter than we gave her credit for

She wants to continue being governor and wants to keep AZ red. At this point I don't care if she has a D or an R after her name on this issue.

Does it mean she can be trusted? Hell no!

[TM99]

6. Bingo!

Yes, she is a snake, but on this one issue, I am fully behind her.

[TxVietVet]

5. NEVER trust a conservanazi much less a politician.

[vinny9698]

7. The governors oppose to Medicaid are the ones running for president

Jindal, Perry, Walker, are thinking of their appeal to the tea party primary voters.

[CarmanK]

8. Jan Brewer has innocent blood on her hands. She defunded OTP suregeries and people died,

all the while the money went to her private prison buddies. She is a murderer of innocent helpless human beings: they have a name and a face. But, her decent actions on behalf of Medicaid patients may help assuage her blackened soul.