By Kathleen Foody

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia’s governor said Monday that the state will begin exploring changes to its health care programs including Medicaid but didn’t commit to any specifics.

Gov. Nathan Deal’s comments follow last week’s collapse of a bill backed by President Donald Trump and GOP congressional leaders to replace former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

Trump’s administration has signaled a willingness to let states experiment with Medicaid funds using waivers. Former Georgia congressman Tom Price now leads the Department of Health and Human Services under Trump.

Deal said Monday that he wants the state to look into the options but didn’t discuss details. He also added that his administration hasn’t developed a proposal so far.

"We’re exploring all of those possibilities," he said.

Deal’s office later said the governor would consult state lawmakers on any proposed changes. Georgia did not accept Medicaid expansion, and the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law in 2014 requiring its approval for any changes expanding eligibility for Medicaid.

"We are exploring a variety of solutions that bring Georgians greater flexibility and access to care," Deal’s spokeswoman Jen Talaber Ryan said in a statement following Deal’s comments. "No specific proposals have been decided upon, but he will continue working with members of the General Assembly to evaluate all options."

Deal, a Republican, didn’t embrace the proposal that failed to win enough GOP support in Congress to undo Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

He and other Republicans in the state worried that Georgia could lose more Medicaid funding than states that expanded coverage under Obama’s law.

Deal said during the congressional debate that he didn’t regret opting against Medicaid expansion, pointing to Republican-led states that did and feared having to kick people off should the proposal become law.