Some Trump administration officials, and even President Trump himself, reportedly favor allowing states to partially expand Medicaid, the program for low-income Americans jointly funded by the federal and state governments. Any expansion is a bad idea, for both fiscal and moral reasons.

Obamacare enabled states to enroll able-bodied, childless adults who make less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level (just more than $17,200 for an individual in 2019) in Medicaid, the healthcare entitlement originally reserved for pregnant women and children, the blind, and low-income elderly people. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid, but 14 red states have held out.