GOP governor’s laughable attempt to use Obamacare while pretending it’s not Obamacare

Indiana's Mike Pence is giving in to moral and practical realities of healthcare -- but the politics are tricky

SIMON MALOY

On paper, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence comes off as an unlikely candidate for embracing any part of Obamacare. He’s a darling of conservatives, and was a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act during his time in Congress. “Make no mistake about it, the president’s healthcare bill would do nothing to lower the cost of healthcare and would be a disaster for the American economy,” Pence said on the House floor in July 2009. “If Obamacare passes, you will probably lose your health insurance and you might just lose your job.”

And yet, in spite of all that opposition, Pence is moving forward with a plan to use federal Medicaid dollars made available by the ACA to expand health coverage in his state. He’s also trying to convince conservatives that his plan has nothing to do with the Affordable Care Act and is actually a fulfillment of conservative healthcare reform. “Reforming traditional Medicaid through this kind of market-based, consumer-driven approach is essential to creating better health outcomes and curbing the dramatic growth in Medicaid spending,” Pence said.

Going by the initial reaction, conservatives aren’t buying it.

The Heritage Foundation called Pence’s decision a “disappointment.” The Federalist slammed Pence’s scheme as “merely the latest iteration of full Obamacare Medicaid expansion thinly disguised as a conservative entitlement reform.”

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http://www.salon.com/2014/05/16/gop_governors_laughable_attempt_to_use_obamacare_while_pretending_its_not_obamacare/