LANSING — Governor Rick Snyder visited St. Mary’s Livonia Hospital and Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak on Monday, July 1 and spoke to healthcare workers about putting pressure on their state representatives to agree to the expansion of Medicaid to cover an additional 400,000 low-income residents of Michigan.

“Call your senators, call your senators and please call your senators,” he told medical professionals at Beaumont Hospital.

The Republican-controlled State Senate failed to vote on the expansion before the summer recess on June 20. This prompted the Republican governor to launch a lobbying campaign against senators from his own political party under the slogan: “Take a vote, not a vacation.”

The proposed expansion of Medicaid is part of the federal Affordable Healthcare Act, better known as Obamacare. The proposal would grant government-funded healthcare coverage to childless adults who earn less than $15,000 a year. 

While the federal government would pay for the expansion, after three years the State would have to contribute to it and pay up to 10 percent of the costs by 2022. 

Republican senators who oppose the bill fear that additional federal cuts in later years might leave the State with more expenses to cover.