Anti-abortion groups and six Republican lawmakers in Ohio are suing the state over a move to fund an expansion of the Medicaid health program.
Gov. John Kasich's administration brought the funding request to the state's Controlling Board, bypassing the full Legislature. The seven-member panel cleared the expansion money on Monday. The lawsuit filed Tuesday with the Ohio Supreme Court by the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law argues the board violated the Legislature's intent by approving the expansion dollars. In the state budget passed in June, majority Republicans inserted a provision to bar the Medicaid program from covering the additional low-income residents. Kasich vetoed the item. Expansion supporters say the ultimate legislative intent is what becomes law. Kasich officials have said the board has the authority to grant the request.