I’m shy of details save the essential one: An effort to expunge the vote on a rule that will cut Medicaid funding for  mental health centers failed at the Legislative Council today. An extraordinary vote was needed and it wasn’t there.

Now we’ll see if, as several of the treatment centers have said, this will mean a closure of facilities. The Hutchinson administration had pushed for a cap on spending on group therapy, citing disproportionate spending in Arkansas compared with other states. The providers said the formulas for payment differed from state to state and the comparison wasn’t apples to apples. It also provided for some residential treatment of people who’ll otherwise wind up 

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KUAR’s Sarah Whites-Koditchek had a good explanation of the situation earlier this week.

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