Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell questioned Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear's long-awaited decision to expand Medicaid coverage under the president's health care law, arguing it will expose Kentuckians to increasing costs.
As Kentucky Public Radio's Kenny Colston reports, Beshear, a Democrat, announced the state's Medicaid program will extend coverage to over 300,000 Kentuckians under the Affordable Care Act or what opponents calls Obamacare.
This means the state's Medicaid rolls will extend to more low-income and poor people who are below 138 percent of the federal poverty line.
The governor called it the right thing to do, and the decision was praised by fellow Democrats and health advocacy groups.
However, Kentucky's senior senator warned the extension will be costly for residents and hurt small businesses.
"Given Kentucky’s struggles to finance its current Medicaid program and the uncertainty of future federal funding, I am surprised the governor would make this decision to further implement Obamacare and expose the commonwealth’s taxpayers to more open ended expenses they cannot afford," McConnell said in a statement.
