Mississippi Senate Republicans push Medicaid expansion ‘lite’ proposal that would cover fewer people [Video]

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A proposal to expand Medicaid to tens of thousands of residents in one of the poorest states in the U.S. is still alive in the Mississippi Legislature . But Senate Republicans changed the plan Wednesday so it would cover far fewer people and bring less federal money to the state.

Mississippi’s Republican-controlled Legislature is considering expansion after years of opposition to the policy allowed under the Affordable Care Act, a 2010 federal health overhaul signed by then-President Barack Obama. The proposal passed by a committee Wednesday is the only Medicaid expansion proposal still alive after Senate Republicans tweaked a House bill rather than advance a separate bill of their own.