On The Campaign Trail, GOP Gov. Snyder Highlights Michigan’s Medicaid Expansion

Mich. Gov. Rick Snyder pointed out -- as part of his re-election bid -- that 63,000 more low-income adults have signed up for the program than was projected this year. Meanwhile, a video surfaced of Republican Bruce Rauner, who is running for governor in Illinois, telling conservative activists last year that he would have blocked Gov. Pat Quinn's expansion efforts.  

The Associated Press: Snyder Touts Medicaid Expansion In Re-election Bid
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday touted Michigan's successful Medicaid expansion as part of his re-election bid, saying 63,000 more low-income adults have signed up than projected this year, with 3 1/2 months left. The Republican governor said about 385,000 enrolled between April, when the Healthy Michigan program launched, and Monday. His administration had expected 322,000 signups by year's end. "At that level, we're adding over 9,000 patients a week," Snyder said at an endorsement event at the Michigan State Medical Society, an East Lansing-based professional association of physicians (Eggert, 9/30).

Chicago Sun-Times: Video Shows Rauner Opposing Medicaid Expansion Last Year
Newly surfaced video of Republican Bruce Rauner obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows him telling conservative activists in Lake County last year that, as governor, he would have blocked Gov. Pat Quinn’s 2013 expansion of Medicaid. Rauner’s words mark the first time he has publicly staked out that position after sidestepping the question of a possible rollback of the state’s Medicaid expansion during a joint appearance in March with U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and at a Chicago Tribune editorial board meeting a month earlier. The new disclosure comes as President Barack Obama himself comes to the Chicago area Wednesday to help raise campaign cash for Gov. Pat Quinn, who enacted the 2013 expansion that was necessitated by the president’s signature health-care reform. The video also coincides with the release Tuesday of new data by Quinn’s administration that showed 468,000 people enrolled in the expanded Medicaid program since last year, more than double original forecasts (McKinney, 9/30).