Snyder advocates for Medicaid expansion in statewide talks

snyder hats

Snyder demanded Senate Republicans to “take a vote, not a vacation” and urged residents to “bug the living daylights” out of them.

After his recent blast of the Senate Republicans for their failure to vote on Medicaid expansion and reform plan before summer break, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is on the road to advocate for the benefits of the proposal.

Snyder’s office announced “A Conversation With the Governor,” a series of informal discussion with a variety of audiences throughout the state. The Republican governor is expected to begin the series in Grand Rapids, where he will discuss the “Healthy Michigan” initiative with Spectrum Health System employees and other stakeholders.

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“The Healthy Michigan plan is vital to the health of our families and the economic success of our state. Unfortunately, Michigan now faces a sense of urgency to approve the plan in the light of the Senate’s failure to vote before taking a summer vacation,” Snyder said.

“I look forward to sharing information about the plan with health care providers, employers and all Michiganders so that we can work together to move it forward. Healthy Michigan is a good step for our state. It will help build healthier families and a stronger Michigan.”

For months, Snyder has lobbied lawmakers to expand Medicaid eligibility to 133 percent of the poverty level using funding promised by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.

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Despite their initial dismissal of the governor’s proposal, House Republicans ended up working with Snyder to develop an expansion plan that includes a number of state-level reforms.

After approving the measure in a 76-31 bipartisan vote, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville failed to call an up-or-down vote in that chamber before lawmakers left town for summer break, planting serious seeds of doubt regarding the fate of the expansion proposal.

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Then, in an afternoon press conference, Snyder demanded Senate Republicans to “take a vote, not a vacation” and urged residents to “bug the living daylights” out of them.

Read more: http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/06/michigan_gov_rick_snyder_plans_1.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+michigan-news+%28Michigan+News%2C+Updates%2C+Photos%2C+Videos+and+Opinions+-+MLive.com%29

Christopher J. Berry is an elder law lawyer in Michigan Dedicated to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care maze. To learn more visit http://www.michiganelderlawattorney.com/ or call 248.481.4000

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