Ohio Panel Approves Medicaid Expansion

5-2 vote

An estimated 366,000 more people in Ohio will soon be able to enroll in Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled, after a legislative panel on Monday cleared Republican Gov. John Kasich's request for the state to spend federal dollars to provide them with health coverage.

It was a victory for the governor, who has pushed for expansion for months — despite opposing President Barack Obama's signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under whichMedicaid expansion falls — as well as a triumph for the Obama administration.