RALEIGH, N.C. -- A Medicaid expansion deal in North Carolina received final legislative approval on Thursday, likely ending a decade of debate over whether the closely politically divided state should accept the federal government's coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income adults.

The House voted 87-24 in favor of a deal reached between Republican legislative leaders, following another required affimative vote on Wednesday. The Senate already approved the legislation last week. It now now goes to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a longtime expansion advocate. He's likely to sign the bill into law.

North Carolina is one of several Republican-led states that have begun considering expanding Medicaid after years of steadfast opposion. Voters in Republican-dominated South Dakota approved expansion in a referendum in November. And in Alabama, advocates are urging lawmakers to take advantage of federal incentives to expand the state’s Medicaid program and provide health insurance to thousands of low-income people.