PHOENIX — A fight is intensifying in the Arizona Legislature over the Senate leader’s refusal to restore a program providing health insurance to poor children, a stance that would maintain the state’s position as the only one in the nation that doesn’t participate in the plan.
Advocates who want the program restarted rallied at the Capitol on Monday in a last-ditch effort. Arizona froze its KidsCare program in 2010 to save money during a state budget crunch. It once covered more than 63,000 children, but fewer than 1,000 now have the insurance.
Senate President Andy Biggs has blocked the proposal despite it passing overwhelmingly in the House because he’s opposed to the Affordable Care Act and is worried the federal government will cut payments and force Arizona to pick up more of the tab.
Backers note the federal government is paying for 100 percent of the plan through 2017, and the proposal allows the state to stop the program if federal funding drops.
