New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has become the eighth Republican governor to agree to expand Medicaid coverage in his state under the provisions of Obamacare.
Is the last line of Republican resistance to Obamacare disintegrating?
In 2011,26 states joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the provision of Obamacare,that forced them to participate in expanding Medicaid coverage as a condition to continue to participate in the program. The Supreme Court ruled in their favor last year,negating the mandatory requirement,so it is now voluntary for states to expand Medicaid coverage.
The Congressional Budget Office still estimates that expanded Medicaid coverage,though now voluntary rather than forced upon states,will contribute about a third of the reduction in the number of uninsured Americans brought about by Obamacare by 2022.
So it was assumed,once expansion of Medicaid became voluntary,that this was a line Republican governors would not cross. Refusal by Republican governors to play ball could be a serious setback for Obamacare to advance and plant its institutional roots.
Read More at GOPUSA . By Star Parker.