Politico reports that certain Republican governors are going forward with the implementation of these health law provisions without facing a backlash within their states.
Politico: Some GOP Governors Accepting Parts Of ACA
A handful of Republican governors are bucking their party and going ahead with key pieces of President Barack Obama's health care law -; and so far, they're not being cast out by the GOP as Obamacare traitors. Nationally, the heated politics surrounding the health law have hardly died down almost three years since its passage. But some Republican governors -; including prominent ones like Ohio's John Kasich -; are expanding Medicaid or building an insurance exchange without facing similar opposition at home. These state moves represent a turning point in the fight over Obamacare (Haberkorn and Millman, 2/5).
On health exchanges --
Salt Lake City Tribune: Utah's online insurance marketplace, Avenue H, is still the focus of eleventh-hour negotiations with the Obama administration. Unable to win legislative support for a state-run exchange that meets all federal requirements, Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday pitched a new scenario to U.S. Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius. Utah is now proposing to keep and run Avenue H as a "shop" exchange for small businesses, relinquishing to federal officials the task of building a separate marketplace for individuals (Stewart, 2/5).
Meanwhile, coverage from the Associated Press and other news outlets details the positions being taken by various state leaders across the country on the expansion of Medicaid, and how public opinion is taking shape.
The Associated Press: Democrats, Others Call For Wis. Medicaid Expansion
Democratic lawmakers and others who are calling on Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans who control the Legislature to expand Medicaid coverage in Wisconsin pointed to a new analysis Tuesday that said the state could save $65 million by accepting the federal money. The savings would come by replacing state money to cover childless adults with money from the federal government made available under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law (Bauer, 2/5).
The Associated Press: Corbett Won't Pursue Medicaid Expansion, For Now
Gov. Tom Corbett said Tuesday that he will not pursue an expansion of Pennsylvania's Medicaid program, at least for now, echoing the longstanding complaints of other Republican governors about the cost, inflexibility and inefficiency of Medicaid. Corbett has not made a specific request from the federal Department of Health and Human Services for the kind of flexibility he wants, and his administration characterized a Tuesday letter to the agency's secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, as a starting point (Levy, 2/5).
The Associated Press: Fla. Lawmakers Give Mild Criticism Of Scott Budget
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's $74.2 billion proposed budget isn't winning a lot of praise so far from state legislators. … Democratic legislators also questioned why Scott has refused so far to take a stance on whether the state should accept federal aid to expand Medicaid. ... Scott initially was opposed to expansion of the safety-net program but then softened his stance after President Barack Obama was re-elected (Fineout, 2/5).
Health News Florida: Could FL Build Exchange From These 2 Groups?
Two quite different programs that help Floridians find health insurance may end up competing to become the Florida face of the federal health-insurance exchange of the future. One or both would almost certainly not survive -- that is, unless they join forces (Gentry, 2/5).
The Associated Press: Hundreds Urge Okla. Governor To Expand Medicaid
Hundreds of people rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday and urged Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to reconsider her rejection of a Medicaid expansion that would provide health insurance to an estimated 200,000 working poor in the state. After about 200 people gathered on the north steps of the Capitol, some holding signs that read "Health Care is a Human Right" and "Expand Medicaid Now," organizers delivered more than 5,000 signatures from an online petition urging the Republican governor to reconsider her decision (Murphy, 2/5).