RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina Republican legislative leaders are stopping their lawsuit to block efforts by new Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to expand Medicaid before President Barack Obama left office.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger filed their dismissal notice Thursday in U.S. District Court. They said in a news release the lawsuit is now unnecessary because Cooper never submitted formal paperwork for expansion through the federal health care overhaul law.
The January lawsuit argued Cooper couldn’t seek expansion without formal legislative approval. Soon after, a federal judge temporarily blocked any action by health regulators.
Cooper announced during his first days in office he wanted expansion. Lawyers for his administration said legislative leaders were jumping the gun with litigation and acknowledged there needed to be legislative buy-in.
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