New Medicaid Enrollees Pleased With Coverage, But Note They Still Face Obstacles

Focus-group research finds that people who received Medicaid coverage under the health law's expansion are generally happy but find roadblocks to getting care, The Washington Post reports.

The Washington Post’s Wonkblog: Millions Have Joined Medicaid Under Obamacare. Here's What They Think Of It.
The Medicaid program, already the nation's largest insurer, has quickly added millions to its rolls since the start of Obamacare's coverage expansion. And it appears that Medicaid enrollees are generally happy to have coverage, though many are encountering roadblocks to receiving the care they want, according to new research that provides one of the earliest insights into people's experiences under the expanded health insurance program for low-income Americans (Millman, 9/19).

Also, the Democratic candidate for governor in Texas says she would consider executive action to expand Medicaid if elected -

Texas Tribune: Davis Intends to Use Executive Action, Veto Power if Elected
If elected governor, state Sen. Wendy Davis would consider using "executive action" to expand the state's Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act in the face of likely opposition from a Republican-dominated state Legislature, she said Saturday in a wide-ranging interview at The Texas Tribune Festival. ... Had Texas expanded Medicaid to cover more adults under federal health care reform, the federal government would have covered 100 percent of the cost for three years, eventually reducing its coverage to 90 percent. Davis criticized Republicans' opposition to the offer, which she noted was projected to create as many as 300,000 jobs in the state (Batheja, 9/20).

Houston Chronicle: Davis Might Use Executive Action To Expand Medicaid
State Sen. Wendy Davis says if she is elected governor, she will consider using "executive action" to expand the state's Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act despite almost certain opposition from the Republican-dominated Legislature. ... "Sometimes you have to do hard things when they're the right things," she said. Republican Gov. Rick Perry and the GOP-controlled House and Senate have steadfastly opposed expanding Medicaid to cover more people under the federal healthcare law, commonly called Obamacare for President Barack Obama's support of its passage (Ward, 9/21).

And in Kansas, some of the medical groups are weighing their positions as they form their political plans -

Kansas Health Institute News Service: Medical PACs Mull Stance On Medicaid Expansion
Fifteen medical-related political action committees registered with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission had a total of almost $600,000 cash on hand at the July 24 reporting deadline, and officials from the top PACs said they're still forming the legislative agendas that may inform how they spend that money. Representatives of several PACs said that their groups will mull their positions on Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act. The expansion, part of the health reform law commonly called Obamacare, has been opposed by Gov. Sam Brownback and Republican legislative leaders in Kansas (Marso, 9/19).