This just out courtesy of USA Today:
The 20 states choosing not to expand Medicaid will lose billions of dollars in federal funds, according to a new study released Thursday.
The study, by the Commonwealth Fund, shows that the twenty Republican governors who rejected Medicaid expansion are depriving their constituents in need of their federally-mandated rights to access affordable health insurance.
"There are no states where the taxpayers would actually gain by not expanding Medicaid," said Sherry Glied, lead author on the study. "Nobody wins.
....
All 20 of the states choosing not to expand Medicaid have Republican governors. Many have said increasing Medicaid could add to the federal deficit. Others have long opposed the law since its passage in 2010.
Medicaid, however, is a federal program, Glied said, and residents of states that have not expanded the program are still paying taxes to support it. They're just not getting the extra benefits in their states."
Governors who refuse to enact policies designed to help people are in fact guilty of
hurting people.
Shame on them.
(The study, "How States Stand to Gain or Lose Federal Funds by Opting In or Out of Medicaid Expansion," is due out later today--it appears that USA Today has an advance copy. It's not yet on the Commonwealth Fund site but I'll post it as soon as it appears.)
Will there be political consequences for these governors who deprive their own constituents of already paid-for benefits? Maybe. As Greg Sargent of the Washington Post put it the other day,
It’s widely accepted as an article of faith that Obamacare will be uniformly bad politics for Dems in 2014. After all, the rollout is a disaster and majorities disapprove of the law, so how could it possibly be any other way, right? Here’s something that counter-programs that narrative a bit: Democrats are currently using a major pillar of the health law — the Medicaid expansion — as a weapon against Republican Governors in multiple 2014 races. Many of these Governors opted out of the expansion or have advanced their own replacement solutions, and many are facing serious challenges.
....
The larger story is that the Medicaid expansion is emerging as an early Obamacare success — a rare area where the law may already be putting Republicans on the defensive. A new report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finds that over 1.4 million people in October were deemed eligible to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP. There was a far larger jump in applications where states are expanding Medicaid than where they aren’t — another sign Obamacare may benefit far more people in states where GOP governors are not trying to block the expansion.
Politico’s Edward Isaac-Dovere has a great piece reporting that multiple GOP governors initially elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave are now in contested races precisely because they continue to pursue the Romney agenda that was roundly rejected by voters two years later. The Medicaid expansion is a good example. Obamacare was heavily litigated in 2012; Dems won; and the law’s benefits are now kicking in across the country. Yet some of these GOP governors — originally buoyed by a movement organized largely around Total War opposition to Obamacare — continue to resist accommodation with its Medicaid expansion, even if so doing means denying expanded coverage to their own constituents. And they will now be pressed by Dems to answer for it.
Let's make sure they do have to answer for it. If your governor has opposed Medicaid expansion, leave a comment below telling us how to get in touch, and also give us contact information for the likely Democratic challenger. I'll compile a list as the day goes on.
5:38 AM PT: Update--The study can be found here.
7:41 AM PT: Update #2: States opposing Medicaid expansion.
(Note, states marked with an asterisk are still considering expansion. Those with Democratic governors have all had expansion blocked by Republican legislatures. I'll continue to update this list through the day. I also notice that the Commonwealth Fund list is slightly different in its assessment of states on the fence than Medicaid Map produced by the Advisory Board Company (not sure what that agency is--seems to be connected to the insurance industry).
Alabama, Robert Bentley (R), 2014
Alaska, Scott Parnell(R), 2014, (Byron Mallott has declared his candidacy; other possible challengers Ethan Berkowitz, Scott McAdams, Mike Navarre, Joe Paskavan, Bill Wielechowski)
Florida, Rick Scott (R), 2014, (Possible challengers Charlie Crist and the underdog Nan Rich)
Georgia, Nathan Deal (R), 2014, (Declared challenger Jason Carter)
Idaho, Butch Otter (R), 2014, (Declared challenger A.J. Balukoff)
Indiana*, Mike Pence (R), 2017
Kansas, Sam Brownback (R), 2014 (Declared challenger Paul Davis)
Louisiana, Bobby Jindal (R), 2015
Maine, Paul LePage (R), 2014 (Declared challenger Mike Michaud)
Mississippi, Phil Bryant (R), 2018
Missouri, Jay Nixon (D) (supports Medicaid expansion; rejected by state General Assembly)
Montana*, Steve Bullock (D) (supports Medicaid expansion; rejected by state legislature)
Nebraska, Dave Heineman (R) (cannot seek a third term; Lt. Gov Pat Sheehy (R) recently withdrew his candidacy due to scandal. Republican field is wide open. Democratic candidate Annette Dubas just withdrew, leaving Chuck Hassebrook, Chris Beutler, Mike Meister and Kim Robak as possible contenders), 2014
New Hampshire*, Maggie Hassan (D) (supports Medicaid expansion; rejected by state Senate)
North Carolina, Pat McCrory (R), 2016
Oklahoma, Mary Fallin (R), 2014 (NO Democratic challengers).
South Carolina, Nicki Haley (R), 2014
(Democratic challenger Vincent Shaheen--rematch from 2010).
South Dakota, Dennis Daugaard (R), 2014
(Possible Democratic challengers include Jason Frerichs, Bryce Healy, Stepanie Herseth Sandlin, Mike Huether)
Tennessee*, Bill Haslam (R), 2014
(Possible Democratic challenger Sara Kyle)
Texas, Rick Perry (R), will not be seeking re-election in 2014, (Declared Democratic contenderWendy Davis)
Utah, Gary Herbert (R), 2016
Virginia, Terry McAuliffe (D) (elected last month; has pledged to expand)
Wisconsin, Scott Walker (R), 2014
(Declared Democratic challenger: Mary Burke)
Wyoming, Matthew Mead (R), 2014 (So far, no Democratic challenger)
Update#4: Check out this Interview with Kentucky Governor Beshear on Hardball (h/t zmom from the comments below). (Sorry I can't seem to embed it).
11:37 AM PT: Update#5: (last update) added contact links for Democratic challengers, or at least credible news stories about possible challengers, where available. All other names from this cool Wiki site on gubernatorial races.