So Obamacare is now a friend of the Republican governors.
After joining the other Republican governors to deny the citizens of their state affordable healthcare through Obamacare, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has a change of heart and mind. And I am absolutely sure this change of heart had something to do with his 25 points deficit to his Democratic challenger in the upcoming election.
On Thursday, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will announce that it had granted a waiver and reached agreement with the state to provide health care coverage to 500,000 low-income residents through private insurance. The waiver will make Pennsylvania the 27th state, plus the District of Columbia, to accept federal Medicaid dollars.
Pennsylvanians who work in fast food, retail, taxi and limo driving, cleaning and housekeeping, and construction are most likely to benefit from the coverage expansion, a recent report from the health care advocacy group Families USA estimates.
News of the agreement also comes as Republican governors who are expanding their Medicaid programs up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line are registering higher poll numbers than those who do not. A recent poll has found that Gov. Tom Corbett (R-PA) trails Democratic challenger Tom Wolf by 25 percentage points. Meanwhile, 59 percent of Pennsylvania voters back Medicaid expansion, according to data from Public Policy Polling.
