'Obamacare' foe tries to save expanded Medicaid in Arkansas

Born in the arch-conservative hometown of Wal-Mart, the mild-mannered attorney made a bold effort to unseat a Democratic political giant, Sen. Dale Bumpers, and later as a congressman even prosecuted the impeachment case against native son President Bill Clinton.

Hutchinson's position, which has inflamed some in his party, shows the difficulty of juggling the politics and practical aspects of a controversial health care law that means billions of dollars in federal money for states.

The federal government covered 100 percent of the expansion's costs, with its share gradually declining to 90 percent in 2020.

Since the enrollment was expanded in 2013, the proportion of Arkansans without insurance has dropped from 22 to 9.6 percent.

Arkansas' hybrid expansion of Medicaid, which passed in 2013, uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents.

After his election, and after a task force studied the options, Hutchinson called for keeping the expanded coverage with new restrictions such as charging premiums to some recipients.

Hutchinson's Democratic predecessor said expanded Medicaid makes the most sense financially for Arkansas, even for those who disagree with the Obama health plan as national policy.