A handful of activists turned up at the Capitol Campus sundial on Tuesday to make their case against the House approach. Placards around the outdoor area showed how many people rely on the Basic Health Plan's subsidized health-insurance policies for medical coverage. The House plan would cap spending so that new enrollees could not get into the program until an estimated 33,000 people quit, said lobbyist Nick Federici of the Friends of the Basic Health Plan coalition. The plan now serves about 130,000 people. There is still hope for a budget deal, though no one says how soon it will happen.
Some lawmakers are anxious to finish.