I'm always amazed when there is such a major disconnect between Cause and Effect, when it comes to people searching for someone to blame.
In this case, the disconnect between the Republican governors refusing Federal Medicaid funding, and the resulting “Medicaid coverage gap” now being endured by far too many of their poorer citizens.
I blame Fox News ... (and the Supreme Court too, for allowing this Public {opt-out} Option to happen.)
Millions Without Health Coverage Hang on Gov Races
by Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times -- November 4, 2014
[...]
Since a 2012 Supreme Court ruling gave states the right to choose whether to opt out of Medicaid expansion, 23 states -- all with Republican governors -- decided to pass on the program -- with many saying it would be too costly and unsustainable for their states to handle. Under the law, the federal government fully funds the Medicaid expansion programs for three years, then at 90 percent thereafter.
The states’ decisions created a “Medicaid coverage gap” for people who did not meet states’ existing Medicaid income standards and were too poor to receive federal subsidies for the law’s exchanges. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, some 5 million people are caught in this coverage gap.
[...]
Today, 15 of these states have governors who are up for re-election. Six races are toss-ups --Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maine and Wisconsin. The election results could have an impact on uninsured people whose states opted out of Medicaid expansion. The New York Times notes that if a Republican governor is replaced by a Democrat or Independent in these states, it could mean “as many as 1.3 million more people will get health coverage in the years ahead.”
[...]
Who will Voters blame for their state's “Medicaid coverage gap”?
Their 23 Republican governors who turned it down?
The Republican grid-lockers who hate all things that help the poor?
Barack Obama who implemented basically the Republican Health Exchange plan from the 90's?
Or will they blame "Any generic Democrat" on the Ballot?