Alaska governor will expand Medicaid despite legislature opposition

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker is expanding Medicaid, no matter what the legislature says

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 17 July 2015

On Thursday, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) said that he will accept federal funding to expand the state's Medicaid reach, despite opposition from the Republican-led state legislature. Some 20 states, mostly controlled by Republicans, have rejected the federally financed expansion of state Medicaid programs, a part of ObamaCare that was made optional under a Supreme Court ruling.

The 30 states that have accepted the federal funds "have already made the commonsense decision to accept Medicaid expansion," Walker said Thursday. "Why? Because it helps their residents, their economies, and their budgets." Alaska's legislature has blocked several of Walker's attempts to expand the health care program for the poor and disabled, and Walker said that using his executive authority to extend Medicaid to more than 20,000 uninsured Alaskans was his final resort.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.