DES MOINES (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday that he had a “cordial” recent meeting with the U.S. health secretary about his decision not to expand Medicaid in Iowa and will soon give the federal government his full proposal that aims to instead extend another program set to expire later this year.

The Republican governor said he pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at their meeting Friday in Washington, D.C., for a federal waiver to continue IowaCare, which provides limited health benefits to some 70,000 low-income adults in the state using state and federal funding.

“One of the big concerns I have is just expanding Medicaid has not worked to improve health. In fact the health of the American people has gone consistently downhill. We’ve become more obese and less healthy,” Branstad said.