Republican Gov. John Kasich plans to expand Ohio's Medicaid program with the approval of a seven-member oversight panel rather than the full state legislature, according to a report from The Columbus Dispatch.
The Republican-controlled legislature has not approved the expansion, which would extend Medicaid coverage to approximately 275,000 people earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level, according to the report. Lawmakers oppose the expansion for various reasons, such as general objections to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and concerns about the state's finances if federal funding doesn't come through.
Gov. Kasich needs four votes from the seven-member board — which includes four Republican legislators, two Democrats and a chairman appointed by the governor — to get the expansion approved.
Leading Republican board member Rep. Ron Amstutz has released a statement expressing "grave concerns" about the governor's plan of action, saying that it amounts to "crimping the legislative process."
The board is scheduled to consider the expansion during its Oct. 21 meeting.
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