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Senator Dianne Feinstein votes yes on health care bill, addresses Medicaid shortfall
The Senate worked again this weekend, voting to end debate on a health care bill. The 60-40 vote squeaker came after a snowstorm closed down much of the region. The bill’s moving forward, but California’s Governor has some concerns.
The problem is that the health care bill would include more people in the Medicaid program, which is partially funded by the state.
Governor Schwarzenegger says that’ll cost California an extra 3 billion dollars a year.
Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein says she’s aware of the problem. "I’ve seen the Governor’s numbers," she says, "and it’s a worst case scenario. So hopefully, that’s not going to happen and we have some time to deal with it."
Senator Feinstein says Medicaid would be fully funded until 2016 – enough time to find future funding before California has to pick up the extra costs.