Arkansas House delays vote on 'private option' bill

April 12, 2013 at 12:14 p.m.

by The Associated Press

Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison, center, watches the vote total in the House chamber at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, April 11, 2013, on a proposal for Arkansas to use federal Medicaid money to purchase health care coverage for low-income residents. The bill, backed by Burris, passed Thursday.
Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison, center, watches the vote total in the House chamber at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, April 11, 2013, on a proposal for Arkansas to use federal Medicaid money to purchase health care coverage for low-income residents. The bill, backed by Burris, passed Thursday.

The Arkansas House is delaying a vote on a bill to use federal Medicaid funds to buy private health insurance for low-income residents.



House Speaker Davy Carter said Friday that after talking with other lawmakers, he'll delay a vote on the proposal until Monday. The plan won support from most House members Thursday, but it didn't get the 75-vote supermajority needed for an attached budget bill.

Some lawmakers urged legislative leaders to delay final votes on the proposal so they can have more time to discuss the plan with their constituents.

The proposal would allow Arkansas to take federal funds intended for Medicaid expansion under the 2010 health care law and instead use them to subsidize private insurance for low-income residents.

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