Medicaid expansion in the states: Who's in? Who's out?

Mar 3 2013

The tally continues to change regarding the governors who have said they will pursue the health law's Medicaid expansion. Most recently, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said he is opposed to it, while Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett appears to be on the verge of reversing his position against the expansion. And, in Ohio, Gov. John Kasich is looking for allies to convince Republicans in the state legislature to follow his lead.

The Associated Press: Parnell Opposed To Medicaid Expansion Now
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday he is opposed to expanding Medicaid in the state, given what he knows about the federal budget. Parnell told reporters he will not ask the Legislature this session for funding or authorization to expand the program. He said he will continue to study the issue, with his next decision point coming when he submits his next budget in December (Bohrer, 2/28).

Politico: Tom Corbett May Be On Verge Of Medicaid Reversal
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is feeling the Medicaid squeeze. A Republican governor of a Democratic state, Corbett has railed against the health law's massive Medicaid expansion and omitted it from his proposed budget. But all around him, governors are opting in -; including Republicans John Kasich just west of him in Ohio and Chris Christie just east in New Jersey (Cheney, 2/28).

The Associated Press: Kasich Sees Medicaid Ally In Backers Of Food Banks
Gov. John Kasich implored supporters of the state's food banks Thursday to help him convince his fellow Republicans in the legislature to extend Medicaid coverage to thousands of low-income Ohio residents…The GOP controls both chambers of the legislature, whose approval Kasich needs to expand coverage under the taxpayer-funded health insurance program (Sanner, 2/28).

Health New Florida: Medicaid Expansion: Not A Done Deal
A week ago, Gov. Rick Scott made a surprising announcement that he will support one of the key parts of the Affordable Care Act: the expansion of Medicaid coverage to about 1 million Floridians. He was the seventh Republican governor to do so; Chris Christie of New Jersey became No. 8 this week. On a color-coded Medicaid expansion map published and updated by The Advisory Board, a consulting company, Florida shows up as one of 24 blue states -- a "yes." (Another four are leaning yes; so the positives outnumber the negatives 28 to 16.)…It may be a BIG deal, but it's not a DONE deal (Gentry, 2/28).

The Washington Post's WonkBlog: Interview: Sen. Rockefeller On The Future Of Obamacare
On Tuesday, Sen. John J. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) chaired a Commerce Committee hearing on the Affordable Care Act's summary of benefits and coverage provision, which requires insurance companies to summarize all benefits in a standardized, four-page document. It's something akin to a nutrition label for health insurance. We spoke afterward about that part of the law, as well as the Medicaid expansion, the possibility of rate shock and why he isn't worried about getting Americans enrolled in health law programs. What follows is a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity (Kliff, 2/28).