A plan by Tennessee Democrats to expand the Medicaid program in the state has died after the sponsor of the measure pulled the bill for the year.
Rep. Craig Fitzhugh, a Democrat from Ripley, told the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee on Wednesday that he was withdrawing his bill.
A legislative analysis said that nearly 294,000 Tennesseans would be eligible for health care in the first year. The analysis said the federal government was expected to pay the state $697 million the first year and the state would have to kick in $69 million for the expansion. The state's cost would increase each year.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has backed an expansion of the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled but ran into opposition from members of his own party.
