Too much money to be thrown away apparently, so procedural changes will allow early law enactment, and potentially "save" the state $100 million on the Medicaid expansion legislators approved earlier this fall. A couple weeks shaved off the end of this session rolls the start date for the new medical WELFARE recipients to line up at the trough.

"The Michigan Senate plans to adjourn several weeks earlier than usual, which would allow the newly expanded Medicaid population to begin enrolling by mid-March, rather than early April.

While that's not a lot of time, it does add up, because Gov. Rick Snyder's administration has said the delay is costing the state about $7 million a day. Once the expansion takes effect, the federal government begins picking up the tab for other services the state is now paying for, and the state previously had budgeted for the expansion to begin Jan. 1."