California healthcare funding differs by $1.5 billion in House, Senate stimulus plans

For California, the question of how much medical aid states will get under the economic stimulus plan is a billion-dollar one, and it has revived a debate over whether the Golden State receives its fair share of federal dollars. The House version of the bill would give financially strapped California about $11.1 billion in Medicaid funds to help pay for healthcare for the poor, according to the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The measure the Senate will take up would provide about $9.6 billion.