Obama Blasts GOP Govs Turning Down Medicaid Expansion: 'That's Wrong'

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

DYLAN SCOTT – APRIL 17, 2014, 4:41 PM EDT

President Barack Obama was uncharacteristically blunt Thursday while addressing the Republican governors and state legislators who have turned down Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.

"That's wrong," Obama said from the White House briefing room after he announced that 8 million people had enrolled in private coverage under the law. The White House simultaneously released a fact sheet, which said 5.7 million people would be left uncovered in 2016 if the 24 states that have not expanded the program maintained their opposition.

"This does frustrate me: states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid for no other reason than political spite," Obama said. "We've got 5 million people who could be having health insurance right now at no cost to these states. Zero cost to these states."

"It should stop," he said. "Those folks should be able to get health insurance like everybody else."

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-blasts-gop-govs-medicaid-expansion

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. Y-E-A-H!

[ladjf]

2. Ultimately, the governors who turned down the medicaid expansion will have caused

the deaths of thousands of people for no better reasons that political strategy and gross callousness toward the poor people of their states.

[cosmicone]

3. Where was this Obama persona in the first term?

If he had come out guns blazing like this instead of coddling to incorrigible republicans, his approval ratings would in in the 70's by now and it wouldn't have been so hard to give insurance to people.

[sheshe2]

4. K&R!

[Exposethefrauds]

5. It is about f-ing time he said this at least he FINALLY did

Now keep it up for till your out of office.

[SummerSnow]

6. He called it , "political spite" and it's true

[Vietnameravet]

7. well it's just a matter of time before

they say Obama is once again being divisive. House Leader John Bonehead said just the other day. But I have to ask myself if the people of these states are dumb enough to keep electing these guys are they really worth fighting for?

[riversedge]

8. I live in one of those states. We are

worth fight for--those who are without insurance. The problem is that our legislature, the Gov mansion and the Supreme Court are all republican. We are overwhelmed with teabaggers here.

[chrisstopher]

36. Same here in Oklahoma

[Brigid]

19. Let them call Obama "divisive" all they want.

They still have to explain to the rest of us why we should not have health insurance at the same time we pay for theirs through our taxes, and why other states expanded Medicaid while the red states did not. We will make sure we are not ignored as this election season gets geared up. Pence the Dense will pay at the ballot box!

[tazkcmo]

23. Yes and yes n/t

[Doctor_J]

9. is there more on this somewhere?

At the link there is no mention of the president using the word republican.

[Cha]

10. Thank you, President Obama! thanks Don

[JoePhilly]

12. it doesnt go away.

It goes from 100% covered by Fed, to 90% covered by Fed.

[IronLionZion]

15. Look at the economies of blue states controlled by liberal Democrats vs red states

Do you think its a coincidence? More people with health insurance boosts the state's economy. Everyone does better when everyone does better.

[Armadotrasgo]

13. I know,

but in Ohio, we have direct care workers making 8.50/ hour now. Will that go to 7.65?

[quadrature]

14. then why give states the option?..nt

[Armadotrasgo]

16. Ask John Roberts

not me. My concern is that expanding Medicaid will take already limited resources away from the most vulnerable among us, those with developmental disabilities. If those resources are diminished at all, we will be back in the days of institutionalization.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

17. Dear MR. President...

Saw your speech... you need to actually use the words. "51 votes to get rid of Obamacare? Really? Call your Congress person and tell them to stop wasting the peoples money on these meaningless votes and go back to work!"

[Doctor_J]

25. no kidding. you'd think SOMETHING would get him excited and partisan

especially since he's concerned about dem enthusiasm. No mention of the repeal votes, no individuals called out, no use of the word republican. Must be another twelve dimensional chess move.

[Skittles]

18. I wish he would be charactaristically blunt

yes INDEED

[BootinUp]

20. f'in K&R

[tk2kewl]

21. wrong, spiteful and stupid

nt

[srican69]

22. Can these politicians be sued for malpractice? .. deaths caused due to their decisions

How does anyone defend the actions of those assholes

[Louisiana1976]

27. Well said.

People who've lost family members should be able to bring wrongful death suits against these assholes for starters.

[Stuart G]

24. K and R thanks for posting

[Louisiana1976]

26. Excellent post. K&R

[blkmusclmachine]

28. Who could have predicted it ?!?!

[quadrature]

29. then why give states the option?...nt

[BootinUp]

30. Maybe it was King Obama's fault.

[moondust]

31. The Supreme Court did that. n/t

[quadrature]

32. perhaps you could eleborate... thanks...nt

[moondust]

33. Sure.

Due to a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision, states can individually decide whether or not to opt into the Medicaid expansion portion of the ACA - a decision that has left many small communities scrambling to pay for care that otherwise would have been covered with federal funds.

http://www.peacock-panache.com/2014/04/states-without-medicaid-expansion.html

Lots of info on this via Google. It wasn't designed to be optional but the RW states' rights hacks on the Supreme Court made it that way.

[quadrature]

37. thanks for posting that link!

the issue seems to be some
type of unfunded-mandate thing.

[merrily]

34. IMO, Obama is right that Democrats should be running on Obamacare, not running

from it or apologizing for it.

I posted that here at least twice before his speech and I totally believe it.

Obamacare is not the bill I would have chosen. However, many Democrats running in November voted for it. Moreover, from the perspective of most people, Obamacare is better than no bill. It is also better than about 50 fake attempts at repealing it, without putting forth any substitute, knowing the Senate will kill the fake repeal anyway.

In sum, I thought Obama's speech was right on the money.

[McCamy Taylor]

35. On behalf of the uninsured poor of Texas, "Thank you, President Obama!"

Try to imagine how hard it has been explaining the ACA in Texas. "If you make over a certain amount of money, the federal government is going to pay for almost all of your insurance. If you make less than that amount of money, you don't get any insurance."

It is so counter intuitive that I have to explain it two or three times before it even sinks in.

[quadrature]

38. simple explanation... unfunded mandate ...nt

[cynzke]

39. CHECK OUT THIS MISLEADING WEB PAGE.

http://uncoverobamacare.com/obamacare-drops-widows-from-alabama-insurance/#comment-1194


First notice the photo of the elderly woman. She certainly looks older than 65. Employer health plans don't insure spouses if they are eligible to enroll in Medicare. Secondly, these low income widows would qualify for Medicaid, but they live in Alabama. A state that refused Medicaid expansion. So who put these women in their current position? Blame Alabama.

[bigwillq]

40. Good for him.

They deserve to be blasted.

K and R