The Michigan Senate adjourned for the summer without taking up a bill that would expand Medicaid health insurance for low-income adults. On Wednesday evening, Gov. Snyder cut short a trade mission to Israel and flew back to Michigan in an effort to convince wavering Republican senators to support the expansion.

The House of Representatives passed legislation (House Bill 4714, H-3) last week that would expand Medicaid health care coverage for individuals with income up to 133 percent of the poverty level. The bill also stipulated that the federal government must fully fund the expansion program or the savings from the expansion must cover the state match. Lastly, the bill included personal responsibility measures (i.e. co-pays and deductibles, healthy behaviors) and incentives for providers to meet cost and quality improvement goals.

The Senate Republicans reportedly had the minimum votes needed to pass the bill with the 12 Democrats. However, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) evoked the “Hastert Rule,” which is a governing principle that will not allow a vote on a bill unless a majority of your own caucus supports it. In the end, it proved too difficult to obtain a Republican majority for the bill’s passage.  

In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Gov. Snyder strongly criticized the Senate Republican Caucus for failing to address the issue. Senate Democrats and members of the business and health care community echoed the Governor’s disappointment that the Senate failed to bring the measure to a vote and essentially delayed health care coverage to more than 450,000 Michiganders.

Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville stated the bill is not dead and that a workgroup would be formed to develop a solution over the summer. The Senate is slated to return on July 3 and Aug. 27.