Va. legislators return to bitter Medicaid expansion debate, kill plan without formal vote

Elsewhere, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert may be gaining ground in Washington with the state's alternative Medicaid expansion plan, but the concept still faces opposition at home. 

The Washington Post: Va. Legislators Approve Budget Deal, Reject Medicaid Expansion
State legislators united across party lines Thursday to plug a $2.4 billion hole in the state budget but quickly reverted to bitter partisanship as they debated Medicaid expansion, with House Republicans ultimately killing a bill to expand the health-care program without giving it a formal vote (Vozzella and Weiner, 9/18).

The Associated Press: GOP Resistance To Herbert's Medicaid Plan Remains
Gov. Gary Herbert says he's made great progress negotiating an alternative Medicaid expansion plan with officials in Washington, D.C. But he may still have a tough sell at home. Some Republican state lawmakers remain skeptical of the plan and a watered-down requirement that participants work in exchange for health coverage. Federal officials won't allow a work requirement, but Herbert says they're open to a "work effort" that funnels people into job search and training programs. That evolution is frustrating, Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, said Thursday at a meeting of the state's Health Reform Task Force (Price, 9/18).