SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Assembly Speaker John Perez is introducing legislation to expand Medicaid in California under the federal Affordable Care Act, which he says would expand the health care program for the poor to include more than 1 million additional people. Perez, a Los Angeles Democrat, said Monday that the cost of covering the additional recipients is still unknown, but would be paid for by the federal government as part of the health overhaul. His proposal would expand the coverage to people who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 a year for an individual. Health care providers on Monday also filed a lawsuit to block the state's cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates and announce an escalation of their legal fight. About 7.1 million Californians do not have health insurance.
