House Speaker William Batchelder and Senate President Keith Faber haven't endorsed the Medicaid proposal. They say their GOP caucuses will need time to evaluate it.
Batchelder, who said he belongs to the same church as Kasich, acknowledged after Tuesday's speech that the governor's pitch was compelling.
Asked whether it would strike a chord with lawmakers, Batchelder said, "Oh, sure. No question."
No other Republican governors backing the expansion appear to have gone as far as Kasich in using religious arguments, though Florida Gov. Rick Scott also has gone beyond the numbers in explaining his plans.
Scott, who like Kasich is a vocal critic of the federal law, said Wednesday that he gained new perspective after his mother's death last year.
He said she taught him that "America's greatness is largely because of how we value the weakest among us."
___
Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo and Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Reader Comments (