Republicans in Washington may have let the government shut down in order to defund the Affordable Care Act, but some of their state counterparts are running into the arms of the Obamacare.
Republicans in Washington may have let the government shut down in exchange for efforts to defund the Affordable Care Act, but some of their state counterparts are running into the arms of the Obamacare.
Last month, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett became the 10th GOP governor to back the expansion of his state’s Medicaid program under the nation’s health care law, after months of sagging approval ratings.
On the other hand, governors who back the expansion are being rewarded at the polls. As the Atlantic’s Molly Ball writes, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has surged from a 4-point deficit to a 8-point lead in his re-election bid, after campaigning on Medicaid expansion.
In total, 26 states have not agreed to expand Medicaid access in their states. A recent New York Times report details the consequences of that decision. More than 8 million people would be left without health insurance, many of them low-wage workers and single mothers. The 26 states include some of the most populous states like Texas and include about 60% of the uninsured working poor.
Eugene Robinson, Ben Smith, and Karen Finney joined Now with Alex Wagner Friday to discuss Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.