After blocking the Senate’s proposed $90 million tax on hospitals, key state House lawmakers now are pointing to nearly $950 million in state reserves as a way to fix budget issues for the coming year.
“We have all these reserve funds; we can get through the tough times,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose.
The House and Senate ended two weeks of Medicaid funding and hospital tax negotiations on Friday, saying they could not reach a compromise.
The Senate had promoted the hospital assessment as a way to fix a $90 million shortfall in the Medicaid budget.
But the House calls it an unnecessary tax on sick people.
Clarion-Ledger
5/23/9
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Magnolia Tribune
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