AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is trumpeting legislation that he says will improve health care for the poor and disabled while fighting fraud. But he said expanding Medicaid to insure another 1.5 million people is off the table.
Dewhurst and Sen. Jane Nelson unveiled Senate Bills 7 and 8 on Wednesday. Nelson is chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and says the state lost $6 billion in Medicaid fraud between 2004 and 2011. She said her measures would detect fraud earlier and more effectively punish those responsible.
The Flower Mound Republican also said her bills would fund quality care rather than just pay for procedures.
The Obama Administration has offered states funding if they expand Medicaid, but Dewhurst said he opposes the measure.
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