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Medicaid protesters arrested in state capitol

ATLANTA — State Capitol police arrested about a dozen protesters in the state Senate gallery on Tuesday morning.

The group continued to chant in support of Medicaid expansion as police escorted them away.

This is the second time demonstrators have been arrested in the capitol this year.

During an event known as Moral Monday, state Sen. Vincent Fort and state Rep. Mable Thomas were arrested for refusing to leave the governor's mansion.

The House and Senate galleries were temporarily closed after the protest, according to Channel 2 political reporter Lori Geary.

Medicaid pays for health care for the poor, elderly, disabled and low-income families with children. It's funded by the state and federal governments.

The health care overhaul proposed by President Barack Obama anticipated that states would allow people too poor to afford subsidized insurance to enroll in Medicaid.

But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not be forced to expand Medicaid. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal says expanding Medicaid would be too expensive.

Channel 2's Lori Geary is inside the Capitol with just two days left in the legislative session. She'll update late votes and debate on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4.