Debate is set to begin Tuesday in the Legislature on a bill that would expand Medicaid in Nebraska.
It’s called the Wellness in Nebraska or WIN Act. Supporters say it would provide health care coverage to 54,000 uninsured Nebraskans. Senator Sara Howard of Omaha is a co-sponsor of the Act. She says it would do more than expand eligibility for Medicaid.
"It also considers what we want our health care delivery system to look like in the state in the next five, ten, 20 years. The bill talks a lot about patient-centered medical homes, and accountable care organizations, which is really the direction health care across the country is moving in."
Howard says the WIN Act takes a different approach than an effort in the Legislature last year to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
In his weekly column, Governor Dave Heineman says the Act is 40 percent more expensive than the one introduced last year.