Medicaid expansion is a go, after some last-minute drama that ended in approval and a lawsuit. And it’s a scenario in which a Republican governor went head-to-head with lawmakers in his own party, who had overwhelmingly supported his initiatives before this one. Gov. John Kasich took his request to the lawmakers on the Controlling Board, and after more than two hours of questioning, five members voted for the request, with two Republicans voting against it.
Medicaid Director John McCarthy said on "The State of Ohio" in July that his agency was ready for Medicaid expansion whenever it might happen. But one thing that he might not have been counting on is a lawsuit. The conservative 1851 Center for Constitutional Law had said it would file a suit, and Maurice Thompson talks about the lawsuit that he filed the day after the expansion vote.
Two experts well versed in the topic of Medicaid expansion in Ohio have plenty of thoughts to share now that it's happening. Brian Rothenberg is with the progressive coalition Progress Ohio, and Matt Mayer heads up the conservative research organization Opportunity Ohio.