Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) voided part of a budget bill April 21 that would have ended the state's hybrid Medicaid expansion, according to an Associated Press report published by ABC News.
Gov. Hutchinson vetoed a provision in the Medicaid budget that called for a Dec. 31 end to the program, which uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for more than 250,000 poor people, according to the report.
Arkansas' hybrid Medicaid program was created several years ago as an alternative to Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and has faced opposition from some conservative Republicans in the legislature.
Gov. Hutchinson and legislative leaders came up with a line-item veto maneuver to circumvent that opposition, which required lawmakers who favored the program to support a provision ending it, according to the report.
According to the report, it is anticipated Gov. Hutchinson will have more than the simple majority of votes needed to uphold his decision to reinstate the program when opponents try to override his veto, which could happen April 26.
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