More states look to expand Medicaid

By Paige Winfield Cunningham, Paige Winfield Cunningham

Published December 20, 2015

As Indiana won federal approval to move ahead with its version of Medicaid expansion, other Republican-governed states are lining up with their sketchbooks in hand.

Since the November elections, a half dozen governors have asked their state legislatures to accept Obamacare’s expansion of the federal health insurance program for low-income residents. Four are Republicans who want to opt in but are asking the Obama administration for permission to retool their programs as others have done.

If the administration approves the requests — as it has done for at least five states — the governors could join the growing number of Republican state leaders who have consented to a major part of the Affordable Care Act, even as their party seeks ways to undo the law.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced plans in December that would use the extra Medicaid dollars to help low-income residents buy private health coverage. Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead wants to collect monthly premiums from higher-income Medicaid participants and require all to make co-payments.