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Obamacare Medicaid expansion can’t seem to catch a break. Expansion plans have received lethal blows in some red states and are barely hanging on in others. Republican governors in Tennessee and Wyoming were swiftly shot down by their own GOP Legislatures earlier this year on their plans to cover more low-income people. Montana Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s idea met the same fate at the hands of a GOP-dominated state Legislature. (Pradhan, 3/17)

As a Republican state senator on Tuesday unveiled his plan to expand Medicaid coverage for thousands of low-income Montanans, he called it a “nonpartisan, long-term solution” that will provide health care and a “path out of poverty” for the poor. But while Great Falls Sen. Ed Buttrey claims bipartisan support for his plan, it has considerable hurdles to clear before it takes effect. A leader of GOP conservatives in the Legislature declared the plan to be “worse than the governor’s,” which House Republicans killed last week. (Dennison, 3/17)

With the governor’s Medicaid expansion proposal defeated, a Great Falls lawmaker unveiled another health coverage plan Tuesday that seeks to reduce the number of people in poverty and, over time, reduce the number of people who qualify for Medicaid. The Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) Act was introduced by Republican Sen. Ed Buttrey in a news conference at the Capitol. It would accept federal funds to expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level — about $16,200 per year for an individual in 2015 — but coverage would also come with various strings attached. (Bauman, 3/17)

Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Kansas are finally getting an opportunity to make their case to lawmakers. Republican legislative leaders opposed to expansion have blocked hearings on the issue for two years. They agreed to allow hearings this year only after supporters in the Kansas House threatened to force an immediate vote on the floor. (McLean, 3/17)

Faith leaders are calling on Nebraska lawmakers to pass a new version of a Medicaid expansion bill that is slated for debate this year. Church pastors circulated a letter Tuesday signed by more than 175 faith leaders in support of the Medicaid Redesign Act. (Ozaki, 3/17)

After weeks of saying he wouldn't, Gov. Bill Walker reversed course and on Tuesday answered legislators' demands that he introduce his own bill to expand Medicaid. Walker's legislation would expand Medicaid eligibility to some 40,000 Alaskans by accepting $146 million from the federal government through the Affordable Care Act. It also puts forward some reforms to the program. (Buxton, 3/17)

After failing to expand Medicaid through a budget item, Gov. Bill Walker is trying again. He has introduced a standalone bill that would allow the state to accept federal funding for Medicaid expansion, while also offering some reform measures. When he was campaigning for governor, Bill Walker aggressively stumped on the issue of Medicaid expansion. (Gutierrez, 3/17)