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Kasich Moving Ahead On Plan To Expand Medicaid

An expansion of Medicaid in Ohio could hinge on approval from a little known, but powerful state panel.Governor John Kasich's administration plans to ask the Controlling Board on Friday to allow the federal dollars to cover more low-income residents under the health care overhaul.  

Kasich proposed Medicaid expansion in February. But the GOP-controlled Legislature has balked at the idea. The U.S. government has promised to cover the entire cost of the expansion for the first three years and 90 percent for subsequent years.  Kasich's administration says Ohio has federal approval to expand the program. Now officials need legislative sign-off to spend the federal money on the newly eligible Medicaid enrollees.  Kasich's administration wants the board to authorize the spending. The panel handles certain adjustments to the state budget.

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