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Batchelder Questions Medicaid Expansion

Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder says his Republican colleagues have concerns about the expense of expanding Medicaid, though he has yet to discuss with them whether the state should increase coverage.Governor John Kasich is expected to decide soon whether Ohio should opt for the Medicaid expansion under the federal health care law. Batchelder says there are philosophical questions for lawmakers who oppose the law and its mandate for almost everyone to obtain insurance. A recent study by a nonpartisan health policy organization says expanding Medicaid could net Ohio 1.4 billion dollars over the next decade and cover 456-thousand uninsured Ohioans by 2022.

 

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.