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Senators pushed back Wednesday on threats from Gov. Rick Scott to veto projects or bills, saying they weren’t helpful in resolving the health care spending crisis that has brought the legislative session to a stalemate. Scott met with several senators to urge them to give up their plans to expand Medicaid through a state-run exchange and impose work and co-pay requirements. Expansion, staunchly refused by the House, combined with the imminent loss of $2.2 billion in funds from a separate Medicaid program paying hospitals and other providers for care for the poor and uninsured, has frozen budget negotiations as neither chamber has budged from its position. Senators did not respond well to Scott’s veto threats. (Rohrer, 4/22)

As Gov. Rick Scott threatens lawmakers with a special session and vetoes of their bills, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, one of the governor’s biggest political allies, dropped its support of expanding Medicaid under Obamacare. The chamber’s health care proposal had included drawing down $50 billion in federal money to expand Medicaid if the plan included spending protections proposed by the group. Scott and House Republicans oppose Medicaid expansion. (Dixon, 4/23)

Since the Legislature blew past its adjournment deadline on Sunday, all but one committee meeting scheduled since has been canceled or delayed indefinitely. Now, Gov. Bill Walker is calling on lawmakers to do work on bills for as long as it continues to be in session. In a letter sent to Senate President Kevin Meyer and House Speaker Mike Chenault on Wednesday, the governor urged them to “use this time wisely,” and suggested they continue work on Medicaid reform and expansion. (Gutierrez, 4/22)

As a small group of legislative leaders works on a final budget compromise here, Democrats and Gov. Bill Walker are urging lawmakers to use their spare time for hearings on expansion of the public Medicaid health care program and work on other pending legislation. Both Walker and the Democratic minorities in the Legislature want Medicaid expanded to make about 40,000 low-income Alaskans newly eligible. That’s one of House Democrats’ requests in budget talks with the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. But lawmakers from both those majorities have opposed expanding the program, saying that their concerns about Medicaid’s costs and problems with the program haven’t been addressed and that Walker’s plan needs more work. (Herz, 4/22)

Federal officials have put Tennessee on alert: Hundreds of millions in federal funds for uncompensated care at state hospitals are under review, a scenario exacerbated by the failure to pass Insure Tennessee. ... Insure Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam's insurance expansion plan using federal Medicaid funding, would insure an estimated 280,000 more people, theoretically reducing the amount of uncompensated care at hospitals. Haslam negotiated a waiver with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create Insure Tennessee, which has been defeated by the state Senate twice in committees. (Fletcher, 4/22)

The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a two-year, $71.5 billion budget for the state that increases spending on education and Medicaid and also cuts income taxes. The budget now goes to the Senate, then will be taken up in a conference committee before final passage, which is expected in June. ... State Rep. John Barnes (D., Cleveland) broke party ranks to support the bill because Republicans left in the bill the Medicaid expansion that Governor Kasich supported despite many conservative Republicans’ opposition. “The most important aspect of this budget for me is the provision to expand Medicaid,” Mr. Barnes said. (Troy, 4/23)

Despite grumbling by some conservative lawmakers, it also would continue to accept another two years of federal funding for Medicaid expansion. Such federal support is scheduled to start declining in 2017. In total, the House's plan calls for $71.5 billion in general revenue fund spending – more than $770 million less than what the governor sought. However, overall spending would increase in the House version because it would raise the state's hospital franchise fee, resulting in more Medicaid matching funds from the federal government. (Pelzer, 4/22)

Newly insured patients have asked a judge to let them help defend Arizona's Medicaid expansion in a lawsuit challenging the plan. Advocacy groups representing low-income Arizona residents say their clients should be allowed to have a say in court because Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has repeatedly said he opposes President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law, which made the expansion possible. A Ducey administration official is the named defendant in the lawsuit, and the state is represented by outside counsel. (Christie, 4/22)