Texas governor rejects two provisions of health law

Source: Reuters

Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry said on Monday his state will not implement a Medicaid expansion or health insurance exchange, two provisions of the federal healthcare law upheld last month by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I will not be party to socializing healthcare and bankrupting my state in direct contradiction to our Constitution and our founding principles of limited government," Perry said in a statement.

"I stand proudly with the growing chorus of governors who reject the Obamacare power grab. Neither a 'state' exchange nor the expansion of Medicaid under this program would result in better 'patient protection' or in more 'affordable care,'" Perry said. "They would only make Texas a mere appendage of the federal government when it comes to health care."

Some other states with Republican governors, including Wisconsin, Louisiana and Florida, also have said they would say no to the two provisions, with the hope that November elections will result in Republicans winning the White House and enough seats in Congress to repeal the law.




Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/09/us-usa-health-texas-idUSBRE8680O220120709

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Perry's Medicaid plan would pass on $76 billion in federal funds for Texas

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State and federal Republican officials praised his move, saying the legislation could eventually leave the state holding the bag for billions in additional spending.

But the hospital industry and patient-care advocates say taxpayers will have to continue footing the bill for uninsured people, who will seek medical care when they're the sickest and most expensive to treat.

The hospital industry in Texas, which has agreed to more than $14 billion in reimbursement reductions that accompany the federal law, is a big supporter of the legislation for many reasons, said Steve Love, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth hospital council.

Only about half the adult population in Texas receives health insurance through an employer, because many Texans work in industries such as food service, retail and agriculture that don't provide coverage, Love said.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/07/10/2137473/perrys-medicaid-plan-would-pass.html#storylink=cpy