After a cliffhanger vote in the state Senate, Michigan on Tuesday became the 25th state to expand its Medicaid program under a provision in the Affordable Care Act.
Five states are still debating the measure, while another 21 voted “no” on the expansion,
reports Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press.
The Michigan state Senate vote of 20-18 came after eight hours of “politicking and vote wrangling” and two votes, Gray reports. In the end, it was the actions of two Republican senators that caused the bill to pass – Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, an opponent of Medicaid expansion, decided not to vote on the bill, while Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, changed his vote to “yes” after an amendment he backed was approved, the Free Press states.
All told, 12 Democrats and eight Republicans backed the Medicaid expansion plan.
Gov. Rick Snyder, also a Republican, is expected to sign the bill.
When Michigan’s law takes effect April 1, some 320,000 citizens will be covered. That number is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2020, nearly cutting in half the state’s uninsured population, said Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing as quoted by the Free Press.