State Political Dynamics Shaping Obamacare Implementation In The States
The fights over Obamacare are far from over in Florida -- where a burgeoning Latino population is complicating opposition -- and Alabama, where the governor's stance against the Medicaid expansion and the health insurance exchange is showcasing their resistance.
The Miami Herald/Kaiser Health News: Fight Over Obamacare Is Anything But Over In Florida
Florida isn't just a battleground state for presidential elections; it's ground zero in the nation's Obamacare wars. It's all about demographics. And geography. Retiree-heavy Florida has a surplus of voting seniors nervous about Obamacare's changes. But Hispanics -- the state's least-insured but fastest-growing population -- tend to support the Affordable Care Act (Caputo, 9/24).
Al.com: Gov. Robert Bentley Says Medicaid, Exchange Decisions Part Of Fighting Obamacare
Three months before the implementation of key provisions of the Affordable Care Act -- expanded Medicaid programs and coverage on insurance exchanges -- Gov. Robert Bentley maintains Alabama is doing the right thing by participating in neither. "I have a long-term goal for this. My long term goal is to resist the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and I believe we are going to succeed in that," Bentley said. "If you don't expand Medicaid -- I don’t care what anyone says -- you probably cannot implement the Affordable Care Act. If you don’t have a state-based exchange, it’s going to be difficult to implement the Affordable Care Act,” Bentley said (Chandler, 9/23).