Republican-led Indiana to expand Medicaid; other Republican governors considering expansion

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, one of many Republican leaders whose state withheld from expanding Medicaid under federal health reform, announced on Tuesday that he has reached an agreement with the Obama Administration to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, Maureen Groppe reports for The Indianapolis Star. Indiana will become the 28th state to expand Medicaid.

Indiana's plan, called HIP 2.0, begins Feb. 1, Groppe writes. Indiana "has estimated more than 300,000 Hoosiers—or 56 percent of those newly eligible for Medicaid—could enroll in the first year, and more than 400,000 would sign up during the second year."

Since Republicans gained control of Congress in November, several Republican-led states have moved to expand Medicaid, including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming. "If all six states now considering expansion plans win federal approval, more than 600,000 additional people could be eligible for Medicaid coverage," Christine Vestal reports for Stateline.

"Despite the offer of billions in federal dollars, Republican governors and lawmakers in many states have rejected the deal, fearing they could lose their jobs if they were seen cooperating with the Obama administration on a law most conservatives disagree with," Vestal writes. "Some states also worry that even the 10 percent share may be too much for them to afford or that the federal government will scale back its contribution sometime in the future." (Stateline map)