Republican Governors Begin To Cave On Obamacare... Because It Saves Lives

"GOP's Anti-Medicare Expansion Body Count, By State"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/03/gops-anti-medicare-expansion-body-count.html

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MILBANK: Signs of an Obamacare detente. "For the first time since Obamacare split the country in two, the conditions for a cease-fire have begun to appear. An architect of this detente -- although he denies any such intent -- is Mike Pence, who as a conservative Republican congressman in 2010 fought bitterly against the law and who as governor of Indiana refused to implement it. But Pence...just announced his intent to take the money Obamacare provides for Medicaid expansion and to use it on his own terms to broaden health-care coverage for the working poor....As more conservatives realize that the law they hate allows them to implement policies they like, they may have trouble recalling what all the fuss was about." Dana Milbank in The Washington Post.

Voters are on Dems' side on several key issues. Here's why that matters less than you might think. "The [Politico] survey found that even in more conservative key states, such as Arkansas or Georgia, as well as too-close-to-call House districts, voters 'still lean in a liberal direction on several issues Democrats have championed this year, including immigration reform, pay equity for men and women and background checks for gun purchasers.' But Democrats suffer because health care is far more important to people." David Lightman in McClatchy Newspapers.

To make Medicaid expansion more palatable to GOP governors, don't call it Obamacare or 'Medicaid expansion.' "Republican governors have found themselves in sticky territory -- wanting to avoid a coverage gap in their state, but more vehemently wanting to avoid giving their implicit stamp of approval to Obamacare. Some, like Pence, have tried to find workarounds that would take the federal funding and expand coverage to low-income residents, but through a private, market-based approach that is more palatable to Republicans. Arkansas led the way with its 'private option' plan, and others, such as Pennsylvania and Indiana, have followed suit." Sophie Novack in National Journal.