MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is urging Republican senators to reject a Medicaid expansion he turned down but that most states accepted under the health care law passed by former President Barack Obama.
Walker said in a statement Wednesday that there are "no excuses" for Republicans in Congress not to repeal the law and not allow the Medicaid expansion to grow.
Walker's decision to reject the Medicaid expansion has cost the state about $690 million in federal money since 2014.
Instead, Walker created a hybrid system for covering low-income people in Wisconsin that resulted in everyone earning less than the poverty level having insurance.
Democratic state Assembly Leader Peter Barca says Walker is "fighting a losing battle" trying to convince Congress to stop paying for the Medicaid expansion.
