Republicans' refusal to expand Medicaid is a show of 'gratuitous political cruelty'
I couldn't help but think of Wisconsin when I read economist Paul Krugman's recent piece in the New York Times which described the cruel health care inequities that now exist in several states that have refused to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Wisconsin is one of 14 states that did not accept the federal funds, thanks to former Gov. Scott Walker and now the Republican-controlled state Legislature's ideological opposition stemming from their disdain for Obamacare.
In our state, the GOP would rather throw away hundreds of millions of dollars in federal health care help, foisting the cost of providing health care for the poor, disabled and elderly onto the backs of state taxpayers than take federal dollars. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester — perhaps the best example of fiscal irresponsibility in state government — has famously declared that the state will expand Medicaid over his dead body. Unfortunately, there may be a lot of dead bodies, thanks to his irrational stubbornness.
Several other states controlled by Republicans have since seen the folly of their original stubbornness and voted to take the funds to provide coverage for the impoverished, all the while freeing up millions of dollars for other pressing state needs.
Read more: https://madison.com/ct/opinion/column/dave_zweifel/plain-talk-republicans-refusal-to-expand-medicaid-is-a-show/article_3d0e78fc-38f5-5833-bffb-85102df323e9.html
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