Another GOP governor backs Medicaid expansion

South Dakota’s Dennis Daugaard is the latest GOP governor to call for Medicaid expansion. In a speech last week, Daugaard highlighted the plight of low-income residents who would benefit from Medicaid expansion, as well as the potential reduction in state spending on health care for Native Americans. GOP governors in Utah and Wyoming also back expansion and are working to convince their GOP-controlled legislatures to approve it, and Alabama’s GOP governor reportedly is reconsidering his opposition to expansion. Newly elected GOP Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky vowed to scale back Medicaid, which was expanded by the previous Democratic governor, but a new poll found that 72 percent of Kentuckians favor keeping expansion as is. – Phillip Brownlee

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 6:06 PM.