Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) campaigned on the promise of expanding Medicaid in his state, and now that he has been elected, he is willing to face a Republican-controlled legislature to expand the government program in Alaska, according to a National Public Radio report.
Gov. Walker supports expansion in Alaska as it would provide 40,000 low-income people in his state with access to health coverage.
Although the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, the AlaskaStateHospital and Nursing Home Association and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium all support Medicaid expansion, the state's Republican-controlled legislature hasn't even been willing to consider the idea, according to the report.
Throughout the negotiation process, Gov. Walker will rely in part on the state's Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson, who he appointed. Ms. Davidson has been an advocate for Medicaid expansion in Alaska since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed, and she is confident expansion will become a reality in Alaska, according to the report.
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