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House approves targeted Health Improvement Initiative aimed at the most vulnerable; debate highlights limits
Summary
Third substitute HB 437 passed the House to create a budget‑limited program to provide Medicaid benefits to select vulnerable groups (chronically homeless, justice‑involved, adults with children) subject to federal waiver and appropriations. Supporters called it a measured, fiscally constrained step; critics said it leaves too many uninsured and preferred full expansion.
Representative Dunnigan brought third substitute HB 437 to the floor as a constrained approach to broaden coverage inside the existing Medicaid framework. The sponsor described the bill as “a measured step to provide health coverage for those who are most in need,” proposing slots for roughly 12,500 childless adults in extreme poverty (prioritized by homelessness, justice involvement, or behavioral-health needs) and about 3,800 additional parents by raising the eligibility threshold for adults with children to approximately 55 percent of the federal…
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