BOISE, Idaho — The Senate has voted to agree with amendments the House added to Idaho Medicaid expansion legislation.
The Senate voted 20-13 Friday to concur, discarding a recommendation from the Senate Health and Welfare Committee from earlier in the day to not concur.
The vote means the Senate will next debate the bill in its entirety. It's not clear when that will happen.
The bill is a compromise as the two chambers try to cobble together legislation that can win the approval of Republican Gov. Brad Little.
The big change to the bill the House made is kicking able-bodied people off Medicaid for failing to meet work requirements. The Senate version allowed those people to retain Medicaid coverage but required a copay to receive medical care.
Voters authorized Medicaid expansion with an initiative in November that passed with 61% after years of inaction by the Legislature.
