Even though several Republicans have rejected Obama’s Medicaid offer, Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, has actually surprised a few by accepting Obama’s Medicaid plans for expansion as a part of his health care reform – in saying that it was ‘a better deal’.
Nathan Deal, Georgia Governor, wasn’t so convinced and express his doubts, in saying, “If you think your taxes went up a lot this month, just wait till we have to pay for ‘free health care. ‘Free’ never cost so much.”
He actually goes on to state that after some number-crunching, he still believes, that unlike Brewer, the numbers still don’t look that good, and that the federal government cannot be trusted to meet its commitments based on its track record in the past.
Of course, some experts believe that it’s an important moment for the GOP where they have to choose between minimal spending and independence or pick the Medicaid option which will mean ‘federal intrusion’.
Unfortunately, in not picking this option, the poorest individuals in each state will end up losing attractive subsidies and in most cases, won’t have insurance.
Brewer, in doing the numbers, goes on to say that the infusion of federal dollars will ensure that the local economy gets a boost but most of all, in doing the math, this decision was made based on the fact that since their taxpayers are paying for Medicaid, they might as well enjoy the benefits of the federal program as well.
And even though a few governors believe that the solution lies in economic growth rather than incurring ‘enormous costs that isn’t affordable’, the truth is that the Medicaid offer that Obama is considered by most experts to be a deal that they shouldn’t miss out on.