SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lawmakers in Utah's House of Representatives have voted to reject Gov. Gary Herbert's hard fought Medicaid plan and instead push forward their own alternative proposal.
A House business and labor committee voted 4-9 Wednesday night against the Republican governor's proposal.
They then voted 9-4 to advance a plan from House GOP lawmakers that covers fewer people and costs more. It still needs approval from the full House, the Senate and the governor.
Representatives for Herbert had no immediate comment on the Wednesday votes.
House leaders say their plan offers more stability to the state than Herbert's plan, which relies on a chunk of federal money to help people enroll in private insurance.
The House plan would cover some of the state's very poorest under the traditional state-federal Medicaid program.