Three Democratic Governors are considering turning down ACA money?

[phantom power]

Seriously?

Despite the Supreme Court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, Republican governors are considering refusing billions in Medicaid funds which promise to insure millions of lower-income Americans without health care. The Court found that while the Medicaid provision is constitutional, the federal government cannot take away federal funds from states that refuse to open the program to more residents.

A ThinkProgress survey reveals that ten GOP governors have said definitively that they will not accept the funds, while 19 are still considering other options. Sixteen states, all with Democratic governors, have committed to expanding their programs:

...

Not a single Republican governor has pledged to accept the new Medicaid funds and three Democrats are also considering turning down the money. In total, these states would give up $291.4 billion in federal funds and leave 10,297,221 Americans uninsured.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/02/509464/gop-governors-may-turn-down-258-billion-in-obamacare-funds-leave-92-million-americans-uninsured/

[Rambis]

1. Until the first natural disaster

then they will come begging for cash like they always do.

[Ship of Fools]

2. Wish that someone would take these bluedogs

(assuming they're bluedogs) out behind the shed. Sick of the
mixed messaging, even as the messaging already sucks.

[hughee99]

3. Isn't Vermont working on a single payer plan?

Perhaps the Medicare expansion would cause a problem with that, or at least could create enough of an issue that they're considering turning it down. Without any specifics, "three Democrats" doesn't mean much.

[limpyhobbler]

4. It's not Vermont. It's Missouri, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

[Chan790]

6. Can we disown WV's Democratic Party?

I can honestly name 2 GOP governors to the left of Earl Ray Tomblin and 3 GOP Senators who support progressive legislation more often than Joe Manchin. Even Jay Rockefeller and Nick Rahall are good to screw us with some consistency.

WV Democrats really seem like a lost cause, I only live an hour away from the border and I can tell you the grassroots aren't any bluer.

[limpyhobbler]

10. Wild and Wonderful

I remember as a kid WV was a lot more liberal. Mineworkers were a strong union presence and it was basically a pretty solid state for the Democrats.

They even voted for Michael Dukakis.



I guess we can disown those politicians.

But West Virginia is oppressed. The place needs help big time. People are basically begging for sometime toxic or hazardous jobs because that's what there is. They think they need to protect the extraction industry if they want to to live half decent. It's fear that makes them like that.

Candidate Obama understood what was going on in WV.

"And it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," Obama said.

[dsc]

9. Purdue has a gop lege to deal with and is a lame duck

It will be up to her successor who will hopefully be Dalton and hopefully will find a way to take the money with our without lege approval.

[bornskeptic]

11. North Carolina is unlikely.

Perdue's not running for re-election, so she'll be gone long before that decision is made, and I can't imagine she'd turn the money down anyway. I would guess Arkansas and Kentucky are more likely.

[limpyhobbler]

13. I was just going by the map from the link in the OP..

Apparently Kentucky is implementing...light blue on the map anyways.

Could be Arkansas or Montana maybe? WV, MO, and NC are dark blue on the map for undecided.

[bornskeptic]

15. It could be Perdue just didn't answer because she won't be making the decision.

There really wouldn't be much point in even asking her when she's clearly not going to be involved. Most of the answers are political posturing anyway. I don't have any problem with a Democratic governor who is uncommitted now for political reasons. I suspect that every Democratic governor who is in office at the time will accept the money, and that most of the Republicans will too.

[PoliticAverse]

5. Don't take any of this too seriously until after the November elections. n/t

[snot]

7. I'm tired of pols pandering to idiots instead of educating them.

There's strength in numbers. If more liberals stood up for what they supposedly believe, more voters might question what they hear from the far right.

[DearAbby]

8. I wonder how long HOSPITALS

who like to be paid for all the services they render to uninsured patients...How long will they sit all allow these Governors to grandstand?

[Comrade_McKenzie]

12. THANK YOU, Governor Beshear... KY got one right. nt

[DearAbby]

14. With Hospitals, clinics and Healthcare providers

along with the working poor get done with them...the voters will kick their stinking sorry asses out... in comes a governor who will.