Lawmakers approve Medicaid expansion changes over protest

A plan to scale back the number of people covered by Utah’s voter-approved Medicaid expansion has moved one step closer to passage, despite protest from supporters.

A Senate committee voted Tuesday 6-2 to advance a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Allen Christensen that would cap enrollment at people who make up to 100 percent of the poverty line to control how much the state has to pay. The plan approved by voters capped enrollment at 138 percent.

The proposal now goes to the full Senate.

Advocates rallied on Monday urging lawmakers to leave alone a plan that would provide health care to 150,000 low-income people. They say a voter-approved sales tax increase will cover the program for at least two years, and any needed changes can come after that.