Kasich’s Public Medicaid Expansion Fracas Moves Into Its Second Day
The Ohio governor is engaged in a spat with The Associated Press after the news outlet published comments in which he said he didn't think the health law would be repealed. He has since offered further explanation, saying that he doesn't think the Medicaid expansion -- which he views as separate from the overhaul -- should be undone.
Politico: Gov. John Kasich’s View On Medicaid Fuels Two-Day Spat With AP
What, exactly, is Obamacare? According to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, it doesn’t include Medicaid expansion, a major facet of the law. It’s a view held by virtually no one else. Kasich’s unorthodox view of the Affordable Care Act — and the hunger the Republican base has for the health law’s repeal — are behind a two-day public spat between the possible 2016 contender and The Associated Press (Wheaton, 10/21).
Meanwhile, in Tennessee, health advocates press for expanding Medicaid -
The Associated Press: Advocates Continue Call For Medicaid Expansion
Members of the state chapter of the NAACP and other health care advocates held a mock funeral across from the state Capitol on Tuesday to characterize lives they say will be lost if Medicaid is not expanded in Tennessee. About 100 people attended the event, which included a processional with a casket. Organizers say many people have died because they don't have health care and that there will be more deaths if Medicaid is not expanded. "The suffering is profound," said Margaret Ecker, an outreach coordinator with the Tennessee Justice Center, a leading advocate for enrollees in TennCare, Tennessee's version of Medicaid. "These are human beings who will all care for. It's about doing the right thing." Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, has been criticized by Democrats for refusing last year to agree to $1.4 billion in federal funds to cover about 180,000 uninsured Tennesseans under the terms the money was offered (Johnson, 10/21).
