Medicaid Expansion: GOP-RED States Bash America's Poorest

Score card as of March 30, 2014:

• 23 states are not expanding Medicaid in 2014.
• 23 states (includes DC) are expanding Medicaid in 2014.
• 4 states are expanding Medicaid in 2014, but using an alternative to traditional expansion.
• 1 state with Medicaid expansion waivers pending approval from CMS.

From The Hill, in part:

There are more than 15 million uninsured or under insured people living below the poverty line in the 23 states that have refused to expand Medicaid under Obama-care, according to a new study by The Commonwealth Fund.  Many of these states have among the highest rates of uninsured or under insured people in the country, the study states:

“Without Medicaid expansion, this vulnerable group will remain at high risk for access, health, and financial problems. The vast majority of people struggling to afford health care are low- and middle- income, and exactly the people the Affordable Care Act was designed to help. This report demonstrates that the health reform law was accurately targeted toward the needs of the uninsured and under insured. However, if all states don’t expand Medicaid, millions will still go without health insurance and health care.”

For example, in Texas, nearly 40 percent are uninsured or under insured.

Florida, Idaho, Montana, Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Georgia and North Carolina also rank near the top of the list of uninsured or under insured.

However, Republican-led state legislatures and GOP governors in those states have so far refused federal dollars to expand Medicaid.

The question is why – why is the GOP so harsh on the people with the most health care need?

So, let's debate it shall we. That should be the American way. 

So, consider these points:

The federal government would pick up the tab for most of the Medicaid expansion when it is implemented in 2014, but states would be required to pay for 10 percent of it by 2020. 

Though a countrywide expansion would provide coverage for some 17 million Americans who otherwise do not qualify for Medicaid, some states, including Florida, Mississippi, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, say that paying for even 10 percent of the expansion is too much for their tight budgets.

Proponents of the health care law say that in the long-term, the Medicaid expansion will save both state and federal governments money while extending health care coverage to millions of lower-income Americans. 

Opponents say it is just another example of government overreach and that it is up to the states to determine whether they can afford such an expansion.

Is Medicaid expansion good for the states? Here is the Debate Club's take (see the responses at the link here).

White House official site for Obama-care facts - if you dare to read honestly. That's where the middle is: It needs a chance to work, and adjustments can be made later, just like all good programs need adjusting ... not repealing.

I am not a Kool Aid drinker, but I honestly believe we need to all stop the rabid partisan politics about this issue and pitch in and help make it work ... it is best for the country, but most-importantly, best for the people who need affordable, decent health care - think of it in those terms.

Stop by later for updates and do your own research, too.