A big part of Obamacare is its massive expansion of Medicaid. Fortunately, this expansion can’t happen in most states without Republicans freely choosing to make it happen. Unfortunately, far too many Republican governors seem to be confused about the distinction between repealing Obamacare and implementing it.
If Obamacare isn’t repealed, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that it will cost about $1.9 trillion over its real first decade (2014 to 2023) and will still leave 30 million people uninsured. Aside from these 30 million, the CBO projects that 11 million people will be dumped into the already failing Medicaid program — where they’ll receive subpar care at taxpayer expense. Some of these 11 million have employer-sponsored insurance today, but the CBO projects that roughly 4 million people will lose such coverage under Obamacare. The cost to federal taxpayers from Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion alone, according to the CBO, will be about $750 billion over the overhaul’s real first decade.
