U.S House votes against Medicaid cuts
A veto-proof majority of the U.S. House voted to block seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Bush administration that would cut federal payments to states by $33 billion during the next decade. More than 120 Republicans joined the chamber's Democratic majority to approve legislation suspending through April 1, 2009, rules the administration says are needed to root out fraud in the 43-year-old health-care program for the poor. The vote was 349 to 62. No Democrats opposed the measure. A veto-proof majority of the U.S. House voted to block seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Bush administration that would cut federal payments to states by $33 billion during the next decade. More than 120 Republicans today joined the chamber's Democratic majority to approve legislation suspending through April 1, 2009, rules the administration says are needed to root out fraud in the 43-year-old health-care program for the poor. The vote was 349 to 62. No Democrats opposed the measure. The Senate hasn't taken up the bill. Lawmakers would need two-thirds votes in both chambers to override a presidential veto. The bill is H.R. 5613.
Bloomberg.com, 4/23/08, By Brian Faler
[Editor’s Note: For background and resources explaining what is at stake in schools, see below.]
NSBA School Law pages on Medicaid debate