Politics the predictor of whether states opt to expand Medicaid

The Associated Press reports that the decision about whether to pursue the Medicaid expansion has more to do with how states vote in governors' races than with need.

The Associated Press: Politics Color Governors' Decisions On Medicaid
Partisan politics are coloring governors' decisions about whether to expand Medicaid in their states, affecting billions of dollars and thousands of low-income people. The question of whether they receive Medicaid coverage may have little to do with need, and much to do with the way their states vote in governors' races, including primaries. ... Of the eight Republican governors who will expand Medicaid, six are from states carried by President Barack Obama (Babington, 12/14).

Meanwhile, in news from Wisconsin -

The Associated Press: Wis. To Call, Send Letters About Medicaid Change
Wisconsin health officials plan to call and send letters to all 83,000 childless adults who were originally scheduled to start receiving Medicaid in January but now will have to wait until April under a cost-savings move by Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature. The calls will be placed not only to those who thought they were about to receive coverage but also another 80,000 childless adults who have been on a waiting list but earn too much under tighter eligibility requirements set by Walker and the Legislature (Bauer, 12/13).