The Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to opt out of the law's Medicaid expansion, leaving each state's decision to participate in the hands of the nation's governors and state leaders.
Some governors of states who weren’t expected to support Medicaid expansion have announced the intention to do so. Still others are holding firm that expanding a system they view as flawed is a recipe for disaster.
Here’s the rundown of the positions taken by governors and leaders on the issue of Medicaid expansion:
Supports Expansion
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Illinois
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohio
Rhode Island
Washington
Wisconsin
Opposes Expansion
Alaska
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Mississippi
Nebraska
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Virginia
Undecided
Kansas
Tennessee
Wyoming
Where Virginia Stands
The Virginia legislative session ended on February 23 and Governor Bob McDonnell will have until March 25 to sign passed legislation into law. As expected, Governor McDonnell did not choose to plan for a partnership exchange; instead Virginia will default to the FFE. Virginia has slightly shifted its position on the Medicaid expansion in recent weeks. On February 23, both chambers amended the state budget to allow for a possible expansion. Despite this action, Governor McDonnell stressed that he will not authorize an expansion under his administration without “sustainable, long-lasting, cost-saving reforms.” Both of Virginia’s navigator regulation bills, HB 2246 and SB 1261, were passed by large margins in both chambers.
