DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika released the following statement: 

“As the 2024 Republican field lines up behind Donald Trump’s plan to rip health care away from hardworking families, Republicans across the country are following the same extreme MAGA playbook by refusing to expand Medicaid, leaving 3.5 million hardworking Americans without lifesaving care. After Trump tried and failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he ripped away health care from children and families by railing against Medicaid – and failed governors Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis followed his lead, rejecting Medicaid expansion in their states and forcing thousands of their constituents to go without lifesaving care. Voters have a clear choice between President Biden’s plan to protect Americans’ health care and Trump and the entire GOP field’s unpopular MAGA agenda to jack up costs, kick people off their coverage, and give insurance companies the power to discriminate against Americans with preexisting conditions.” 

Today, North Carolina became the latest state to expand Medicaid, providing hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians with coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. 

Associated Press: “A decade after the federal government began offering expanded Medicaid coverage in states that opted to accept it, hundreds of thousands of adults in North Carolina are set to receive benefits, a development that boosters say will aid hospitals and local economies in addition to the long-term uninsured.

“North Carolina elected officials agreed this year to expand Medicaid, which will provide the government-funded health insurance to adults ages 19 to 64 who make too much money to receive traditional Medicaid but generally not enough to benefit from public subsidies available for private health insurance. The federal government will pay 90% of the cost, as stipulated under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.”

If extreme MAGA Republicans quit their crusade against providing hardworking Americans with affordable health care, Medicaid expansion could benefit up to 3.5 million Americans. 

KFF: “If all states adopted the Medicaid expansion, approximately 3.5 million uninsured adults would become newly eligible for Medicaid. This number includes the 1.9 million adults in the coverage gap and an additional 1.6 million uninsured adults with incomes between 100% and 138% FPL, most of whom are currently eligible for Marketplace coverage but not enrolled (Figure 7 and Table 1). Most of the adults who are currently eligible for coverage in the Marketplace qualify for plans with zero premiums; however, even with no premiums, Medicaid could provide more comprehensive benefits and lower cost-sharing compared to Marketplace coverage.”

MAGA Republican governors refuse to expand Medicaid — keeping anywhere between tens of thousands to over a million of their constituents from accessing affordable health care. 

KFF: In Alabama, 219,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: In Florida, 726,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: And 29% of the uninsured Floridians who would be covered if Florida expanded Medicaid are Hispanic. 

KFF: In Georgia, 434,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: In Mississippi, 147,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: In South Carolina, 166,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: In Tennessee, 218,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: In Texas, 1,435,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

KFF: In Wyoming, 20,000 uninsured nonelderly adults would become eligible for Medicaid.

Donald Trump was hellbent on ripping away Medicaid from hardworking Americans and even children. 

ProPublica: “The Trump Administration Cracked Down on Medicaid. Kids Lost Insurance.”

Los Angeles Times: “Rebuffed by the courts in its previous efforts to gut Medicaid, the Trump administration teed up a new, far-reaching attack on the program that could affect the health of millions of low-income Americans.”

New York Times: “The Trump administration said on Thursday that it would allow states to cap Medicaid spending for many poor adults, a major shift long sought by conservatives that gives states the option of reducing health benefits for millions who gained coverage through the program under the Affordable Care Act.” 

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “President Trump has made clear that his goal remains to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults, and to impose rigid caps on the federal government’s Medicaid spending.”

CBS News: “Trump administration to withhold Medicaid funding from California over abortion insurance requirement”

And other 2024 Republicans have long, shameful records of railing against expanding Medicaid in their own states — leaving hardworking Americans uninsured and forced to pay sky-high costs to receive essential care. 

NBC News: “Haley opposed efforts to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (South Carolina remains just one of 11 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid to allow more Americans to have health insurance).”

ABC News Radio: “In her introduction of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley vowed to oppose President Obama’s recommendations to expand Medicaid in her state.”

Haley: ‘They’re trying to throw Obamacare and tell us that we have to bust our budgets and expand Medicaid. … Not in South Carolina. As long as I am the governor of South Carolina, we will not expand Medicaid on President Obama’s watch. We will not expand Medicaid ever.”

HuffPost: “But DeSantis has some other governing responsibilities, too. One of them is looking out for the health and economic well-being of Florida residents, including those who can’t pay for medical care on their own because they don’t have insurance. Florida has quite a lot of them ― nearly 2.6 million as of 2021, according to the most recent U.S. census figures. That’s about 12% of its population, which is well above the national average of 8.6%. It’s also more than all but four other states.”

“DeSantis could do something about this. He has refused. In fact, as of this moment, his administration is embarking on a plan that some analysts worry could make the problem worse.”