Although Mississippi is one of the poorest and sickest states in the country, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said the state will not take part in the federal healthcare reform law's Medicaid expansion, according to an Associated Press report.
Mississippi is the sixth state that has indicated it will not accept new Medicaid expansion funds. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas — which are also led by Republican governors — are the others.
Gov. Bryant said in the report that although the federal government is footing the bill initially, he worried the state would be on the hook later. "While some people say Obamacare will come as an economic boost with 'free' money, the reality is simple: No money is free," he said in the report.
In June, the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However, it said that states are not mandated to participate in the law's expansion of Medicaid, and states would not lose existing Medicaid funds if they decided to not participate.
Mississippi is the sixth state that has indicated it will not accept new Medicaid expansion funds. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas — which are also led by Republican governors — are the others.
Gov. Bryant said in the report that although the federal government is footing the bill initially, he worried the state would be on the hook later. "While some people say Obamacare will come as an economic boost with 'free' money, the reality is simple: No money is free," he said in the report.
In June, the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However, it said that states are not mandated to participate in the law's expansion of Medicaid, and states would not lose existing Medicaid funds if they decided to not participate.
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