While many of the nation’s governors have ideological problems with many aspects of the Affordable Care Act, it appears that more of them are preparing to accept one major facet of the bill with which they particularly disagree:  Medicaid expansion.
When the law passed, the mandatory expansion of Medicaid eligibility was one of its most controversial aspects and encountered a great deal of resistance from many governors.  When the Supreme Court ruled last year that the mandate was unconstitutional, many governors indicated that they would decline the now-optional Medicaid expansion.
But as the time for implementing the Medicaid expansion draws closer, more governors are concluding that the lure of millions, and even billions, of “free” federal Medicaid matching dollars is too hard to resist.
In addition, some governors are concerned about appearances if they turn down the federal Medicaid money while a clause in the reform act would enable legal immigrants in their state to receive health insurance premium subsidies while other low-income residents remain ineligible for those subsidies and uninsured.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has not yet announced his decision on whether the state will expand its Medicaid program but appears to be leaning against such an expansion.  The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) supports Medicaid expansion in the commonwealth.
Read about the challenges governors face in refusing the federal Medicaid money in this RealClearPolitics article and about the immigration twist on the issue in this Washington Post report.