LITTLE ROCK, Ark (Reuters) - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, a Democrat, on Monday vetoed a bill that would have required voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot, the governor's office said.
Supporters of the proposal said they plan to seek a vote to override Beebe's veto, which would require only a simple majority in the Republican-dominated state legislature.
(Reporting By Suzi Parker. Editing by Corrie MacLaggan)
By Suzi Parker
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - A cost analysis released on Monday shows that a state plan to move Medicaid-eligible low-income citizens into a "private option" under upcoming federal healthcare exchanges would result in little additional federal costs.
"These estimates find that the private option can be fully funded with existing resources at the state level and would add less than 15 percent to federal health-care costs in Arkansas," the report said. "In some realistic scenarios, there could be no additional federal costs at all."
The report by the state Department of Human Services, with input from the Arkansas Insurance Commission and consultants, addresses concerns that private insurance would cost up to 50 percent more than standard Medicaid. A Congressional Budget Office estimate last year said Medicaid costs $6,000 per enrollee versus $9,000 for private insurance.
The Arkansas proposal, the report said, would introduce 250,000 new low-income adults into the private market, creating competition and price pressure.
The report said that by including Medicaid-funded adults in the exchange, the federal treasury would spend about $700 million less on tax subsidies in Arkansas.
Arkansas state officials have created a unique plan to expand Medicaid, spearheaded by Governor Mike Beebe, a Democrat.
The governor's proposal would expand coverage to state residents who earn up to 133 percent of the poverty line, or $15,415 per year.
The Arkansas legislature did not want to expand Medicaid for those under 133 percent of the federal poverty line, an option under the Affordable Care Act. Instead, it wanted to use billions in Medicaid funding to buy private insurance for that same population.
Under a verbal agreement with Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius, state officials say they could use Medicaid funds to obtain private coverage for poor adults with incomes ranging from zero to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.
The insurance would be purchased through a health insurance exchange that Washington is scheduled to begin operating with Arkansas on January 1, 2014. The online marketplace would allow people with incomes of up to 400 percent of the poverty line to obtain private coverage at federally subsidized rates.
The Arkansas deal could provide a template for other states. Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican, is already in talks with state legislators in Columbus about the prospects of a similar deal.
Earlier this month, hundreds of people rallied on the Arkansas state Capitol steps about Medicaid reform. Beebe said then that he and Republican lawmakers were on track to provide health coverage to more low-income Arkansans.
Conservatives like the Arkansas concept because the privatization avoids a government expansion.
Three-fourths of the state House and Senate, both of which are Republican-controlled, are needed for the package to become law.
(Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Eric Walsh)
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled Arkansas House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday to ban abortions at 20 weeks into a pregnancy and a separate measure that, if it becomes law, would be the stiffest abortion restriction in the country.
Lawmakers voted 80-10 to pass the 20-week legislation that would only allow exceptions in the case of rape, incest or to save the mother's life.
The 20-week ban was sent to Governor Mike Beebe, a Democrat who has said he has constitutional issues with the legislation but has not said if he will veto it.
Matt DeCample, a Beebe spokesman, said the governor will decide next week whether he will sign the legislation into law.
The bill, which shortens the existing limit of 25 weeks, does not include an exemption for any lethal fetal disorders.
Abortion right activists condemned the vote.
"Any bill that restricts access to safe abortion is bad for women in Arkansas," said Murry Newbern, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
"Every woman's health care needs are different, and it's vital that a woman be able to make her own personal, private decisions about her health and medical care with the consultation of her doctor, her faith and her family," she said.
Seven U.S. states have laws that restrict or ban abortion after the 20-week mark and similar laws approved in Arizona and Georgia are facing legal challenges.
Late-term abortions remain relatively rare. Most of the recent state laws banning most abortions after 20 weeks are based on hotly debated medical research suggesting a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation.
Lawmakers also passed a bill that would be the most stringent abortion restriction in the country if it becomes law, according to abortion rights activists. In a 68-20 vote, they approved a bill prohibiting most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy if a fetal heartbeat is detected.
In January, the Arkansas state Senate approved a previous version of the bill, which was amended to include exemptions for highly lethal fetal disorders. The bill now returns to the Senate for final passage.
(Editing by Kevin Gray; Editing by Todd Eastham)
