Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Tuesday became the latest Republican governor to accept an expansion of Medicaid to cover more poor residents under the Affordable Care Act.
Like the expansions in other Republican-led states, Pence’s plan doesn’t merely broaden Medicaid, but rather uses the federal funding available to remake the program. Enrollment starts immediately, and coverage begins Feb. 1. The expansion eventually will reach 350,000 people, Pence said when announcing federal approval for the proposal at a news conference in Indianapolis.
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Republicans in states including Alaska, Tennessee and Utah also are debating expanding Medicaid in some form this year.
“I continue to be encouraged by interest from governors from all across the country who want to bring health care coverage to low-income people in their states by expanding Medicaid,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said in a press release. “The administration will continue to work with governors interested in expanding Medicaid to devise approaches that work for their states while keeping faith with the law’s goals and consumer protections.”
