Snyder Administration Pushing To Distance Medicaid Expansion From Obamacare

Gov. Snyder, Lt. Gov. Calley and others now using the phrase, 'Healthy Michigan'

Originally, Obamacare included the expansion of Medicaid to help cover some of the nation's uninsured, but the U.S. Supreme Court said that was unconstitutional.

So, now the federal government is using money from the Obamacare bill to entice states to expand it on their own, says one health policy expert.

With that in mind, a recent tweet from the staff of Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley raised the eyebrows of Cato Institute's Mike Tanner, who wrote a book on Obamacare. Lt. Gov. Calley said the debate on Medicaid expansion is about reforming the system and is not linked to Obamacare.

"This is reform of our Medicaid system. Classifying it as 'Obamacare' is inaccurate," a Snyder administration staffer retweeted Lt. Gov. Calley as saying on July 2.

But Tanner says Obamacare is picking up the tab for any Medicaid expansion.

"The question to ask him (Lt. Gov. Calley) is: 'Would Michigan be taking these actions in the absence of Obamacare promises for future funding?' " Tanner said.

REST

"Healthy Michigan" explained...

Jeez, I just cannot imagine how could've the former mASSachusetts's governor who enacted Romneycare before it was known as Obamacare lost to Obama last November...