Arizona Participates in Medicaid Expansion

Arizona governor and all-around terrific human being Jan Brewer has announced that, actually, her state will be participating in the expansion of Medicaid.

Her primary motivation appears to be Arizona jobs, according to the Huffington Post: “Brewer said that if she did not accept the Medicaid funds for Arizona, other states could claim those federal dollars and create jobs that otherwise would be created in Arizona.”

This brings the number of Republican governors to three: Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada finish out that particular roster.

However, there are nine Republican governors who are committed to not committing: Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Maine, and Louisiana.

While Brewer is leading Arizona into Medicaid expansion, she remains firm on not setting up a state-run health insurance exchange. Instead, the federal government will have to set up the insurance exchange itself. (Along with 24 other states.)