Arkansas lawmakers are taking up the funding bill for the state's hybrid Medicaid expansion, despite predictions that opponents have enough votes to block the expanded coverage for thousands of poor people.
The Senate was expected Thursday to take up the Medicaid budget bill, which includes funding for the hybrid expansion. The program uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents.
The Legislature last week approved Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson's plan to keep and rework the hybrid expansion, but the vote was shy of the three-fourths support that the funding bill will need.
Hutchinson and legislative leaders have warned that state agencies would face significant budget cuts if the expanded coverage ends.