Gov. Bill Walker said Thursday he would use his executive power to expand the public Medicaid health-care program to newly cover as many as 40,000 low-income residents.
The decision comes after the Alaska Legislature earlier this year rejected Walker’s efforts to expand the program through the state budget process, then adjourned without allowing a vote on a separate expansion bill.
Walker’s move makes Alaska one of 30 states to approve Medicaid expansion, a key plank of the federal Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," that was aimed at cutting health-care costs and giving more Americans insurance.
And that my friends is why we elected Walker even though he was tainted by support from Sarah Palin.
Just speaking for myself this is hugely important, as I do not qualify for insurance even under Obamacare, without this expansion.
I have never in my life had health insurance, and used to joke that my insurance was a gym membership. However folks I am in my mid-fifties now and that's just not going to be enough anymore.
Thanks Governor Walker.
Very good news! A lot of us are in the same boat as you,gryph. What a great relief for many.
ReplyDeleteGood News!!!
ReplyDeleteHoisting a beer to you, Gryph, when I get home!
ReplyDeleteJust wonderful news.
I sure want this to be good news, but alsotoo how do we know he's not doing this to bring deathpanelism to rill 'laskans, because thanksobama.
ReplyDeleteI knew this would delight you, Gryphen. DailyKos or one of them had it little earlier, and I was waiting for your reaction.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I never had insurance till the Affordable Care Act either. My husband braved the task on my behalf in those early days when the website was a nightmare, but he's a determined guy. It couldn't be better timed, as he is semi-invalid now, and the one pair of good legs in the house is mine. Name one GOP presidential candidate that honestly gives a damn about people as Barack Obama does.
So happy for you!
ReplyDeleteTexasMel
I'm happy for you, Gryph! Same for me as to Obamacare due to having a preexisting disease - now, I have coverage too!
ReplyDeleteThank you President Obama and Governor Walker!!!
That's great news!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat pisses me off is the lengths that the legislative majority went to block expansion. Even so far as to attempt to push through unconstitutional legislation. Now that the Gov is exercising his authority these same people are screaming what he is doing is unconstitutional. I'd like to bitch slap them all.
ReplyDeleteAll that has to be done by many idiot Alaskans is vote the majority Republican based Alaska Legislators out of office when they are up again for reelection! Simple as that!!!
DeleteRepublicans create the nightmares in Alaska and across the country!
its hard to rid alaska of republicans when they rig the machines,, see anchorage locks missing, to machines that flip the vote.
DeleteNow all Alaskans can access Healthcare through Obamacare. Sarah Palin rails against it even though Native Healthcare will benefit from it as well. How's that 'hopey changey thingy treatin' ya' Sarah. BWAHAHAHA. Sarah Palin hates to admit that President Obama's policies are working! Watch out refrigerator, incoming.
ReplyDeleteWas he tainted? Isn't this what Sarah's administration did? She fought republicans who were so bitter about it they took to lying about her family
ReplyDeleteWas this a lie from the Palins?
Delete@1:39 PM Did Bristol tell any lies about being pregnant in 2010? Did Sarah and Bristol tell lies about Bristol's 2007 High School pregnancy? The liars are the Palins, who had all of their records sealed to hide their lies. No other Governor in Alaska has had all of their family records sealed. Why is that? Is that normal protocol in Alaska? Where is Todd Palin? What happened to all of the Bristol selfies, is she too big to be seen? Does Bristol look like these 2010 pregnant pictures of her at DWTS? Is Bristol ashamed that she does not know who the Daddy of Cletus the Fetus might be? Has Sarah Palin abandoned her pregnant daughter?
Deletehttp://www.zimbio.com/Bristol+Palin/pictures/pro?Page=5
The Palins are tainted, and they show it every chance they get.
DeleteCongratulations to you, Gryphen, and to all the others who will benefit from this end-run around obstructionist Republicans in Alaska. With each state that comes around, it gets harder and harder to continue to deny benefits to folks in the holdout states. It's good news for us all!
ReplyDeleteI too don't qualify for obamacare. And many of my friends don't have it because they, as middle class, cannot afford $800 month
ReplyDeleteI do qualify and have a preexisting disease w/a premium no where near that high! And, I'm middle class too!
DeleteIs your statement really true, 1:41 PM?
Thank God for Obamacare is my mantra! Have never been so thankful! Having NOT to worry about having medical insurance coverage has been a Godsend! It has been a mental stability in handling my disease!
1:41 PM is too lazy to shop around, or is a liar.
DeleteWhy is 1:41 a liar? Gryphen said he didn't qualify for ACA, so is Gryphen a liar, too?
DeleteMaybe you need to look at your budget? You do realize that insurance is still in the hands of private companies. Pls list your families income and state and I can see what can be done for you,. It may come down to you tightening your belt.
DeleteBeing a federal wildfire contractor, I don't qualify because income isn't predictable. This wildfire yr. is a good example.
DeletePeople who apply for the ACA and find it very expensive, like the 800/month as stated above, don't realize that they have fallen into the gap created when their state decided not to expand Medicaid. They don't get a subsidy because the ACA was designed for them to get Medicaid at no cost.
DeleteThis goes back to the first supreme court decision to let states decide if they wanted to expand Medicaid because it is a federal and state program.
Instead of the results of the online application coming back with full premium cost, they should say : your state cares more about politics than people therefore you get no assistance with healthcare insurance costs.
That's wonderful, Gryphen. It gives you a sense of security that is hard to put into words.
ReplyDeleteMeghan in PA
Great news for AK. What is so wrong with this, Repubs? I wonder what Sean Parnell is doing these days. No doubt he would have blocked this step. These anti-ACA people all have great health plans and all they care about is themselves.
ReplyDeleteWalker seems to be a breath of fresh air.
Good for you guys, Alaskans. Keep it going.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Gryphen and for all Alaskans!
ReplyDeleteJust one of the benefits of the ACA is that it can help you stay well.
That only 30 states have the Medicaid expansion is evidence of just how backward our country is.
The Secret Startup That Saved the Worst Website in America
ReplyDeleteHow a team of young people, living in a repurposed McMansion in Maryland, helped rebuild Healthcare.gov
...The spectacular failure of Healthcare.gov at launch led to the creation of what came to be known as the Tech Surge, a group of Silicon Valley developers who rescued the website from disorganized contractors and bureaucratic mismanagement. That group gave rise to the U.S. Digital Service and, to a lesser extent, 18F, two government agencies now working to improve the state of federal technology.
But the story of a group called the Marketplace Lite team has yet to be told.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/the-secret-startup-saved-healthcare-gov-the-worst-website-in-america/397784/
Some fat chick from Canada was supposed to save it....yeah that worked out well...before the Senate?
DeleteOT/Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteDear Peter M,
Planned Parenthood got caught doing something that you won’t believe. I’m angry and I know you will be too.
A Planned Parenthood executive was recorded selling aborted baby body parts to undercover citizen activists from The Center for Medical Progress. Planned Parenthood is supported directly by the Federal Government and by many liberal organizations.
How is our God so merciful that He seems to grant us unmerited chances time and time again to get it right, whilst this hell on earth continues. In fact, it's becoming more accepted and celebrated by voters choosing to elect our nation's "leaders" who would condone, uplift, and revel in the destruction of all He's so gloriously blessed us with?
Demand an end to Planned Parenthood! It’s clear this organization is using federal grants to murder babies and sell the body parts to the highest bidder. We must put an end to this!
Donate $20 to make sure those who vote for Planned Parenthood funding meet the stiffest challenge. Congress must stop giving money to an organization with such little regard for human life.
Planned Parenthood is a disgrace! Donate now so we can put an end to Planned Parenthood spending your tax dollars for murder!
Regards,
SarahPAC
How is our God so merciful that He seems to grant us unmerited chances time and time again to get it right
Delete----------------
projection??
so now she is begging for $20, the next letter will be asking for $30 so the military can arm themselves in recruiting offices.
Donate $$ so I can keep my Grift going and not get a rill JOB. (Never mind My white outs)
DeleteSarah Paymeeee is a Disgrace and a pox on humanity.
DeleteThe Real Story of Obamacare's Birth
ReplyDeleteOne reason for the continued resistance to the Affordable Care Act is a badly distorted narrative of how it became law.
In the aftermath of King v. Burwell, it is worth going back and recounting what actually happened leading up to the enactment of Obamacare, and reflect a little bit on what might, and what should, happen going forward.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/the-real-story-of-obamacares-birth/397742/
Sarah Palin is no different than a street hustler playing 3 card monty.
ReplyDeleteI am so tired of reading that I "celebrate" abortions. Strange that AIP PALIN claimed that liberals "celebrate" Lena Dunham's behavior. I do not do much celebrating, but I damn sure will celebrate the PAC filings at the end of the month!
ReplyDeleteHeads up, Gryphen:
ReplyDelete...So what evangelical Republicans in Congress came up with this week is a “novel” piece of federal legislation that mirrors the rash of religious Republican state schemes to legalize discrimination against the LGBT community. The new legislation is a religious measure with one of those clever Republican titles, “The First Amendment Defense Act;” because calling it a Christian ‘license to discriminate” against LGBT Americans likely would not go over too well with anyone outside of their theocratic cabal.
The legislation originating in the House protects bigoted Americans who oppose same-sex marriage according to their religion’s dictates, and according to language in the religious legislation, that license to discriminate also allows evangelical bigots, including for-profit corporations, to fire any woman who gets pregnant without being married…to a man. The law specifically prohibits the federal government from enforcing the Constitution, or anti-discrimination laws, against any religious fanatic, including for-profit corporations, who cites immunity from the law based on religious grounds.
...The theocratic legislation is gaining momentum among Republicans who are mounting pressure on Republican leaders in Congress to call a vote on the evangelical bill this month; before Republicans have to face religious fanatics at home during their recess.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/07/17/republicans-congress-push-federal-evangelical-license-discriminate-law.html
Its that douche bag Raooool Labrador that's pushing it.
DeleteKudos to Gov Walker for worrying about saving the lives of others while the republican controlled death panel of the AK legislator deemed others too poor to give a shit about.
ReplyDeleteGood for Governor Walker AND the people of Alaska. What galls me is the blind ignorance these states holding out for ideological partisanship, they want the President to fail, and I suppose, in their minds, it was worth it, but seeing it work and work well for states that DID the right thing for their constituents, some are FINALLY realizing they've cut off their nose to spite their face.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with previous conditions, I can vouch that it's worked out well for me and my family. No more being put in high risk, high cost groups with higher costs. And having three kids covered under my insurance, is one less thing to worry about.
Rachel Maddow had a good piece on Alaska and ACA @ MSNBC.
ReplyDeleteI like & voted for Governor Walker and really support the Medicaid expansion. OT for sure but we all need to get on the band wagon and influence him on two huge issues -- The Susitna River Dam and the Knik Crossing. He announced moving forward with Knik this week and has very quietly approved moving forward on the Susitna River Dam also. I live in the Susitna Valley and am very concerned about the negative impacts of the proposed dam. Hope that all of you who are Alaska residents will look into the issues related to the proposed dam and let Governor Walker know that the project should be killed.
ReplyDeletePlease look at the following:
http://susitnarivercoalition.org/
http://www.adn.com/article/20130428/alaska-should-stop-pursuing-ludicrous-susitna-dam-project
https://www.facebook.com/SusitnaDam
Any help anyone can give to publicize the negative impacts of this outlandish project is REALLY appreciated.
Finance wise he has to put Knik deal on the back burner...or pay the feds the monies paid for the project! Good strategy!
DeleteCongratulations to all in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteGood for you Gryph, and thanks to your new governor! While I pretty much despise Michigan's Governor Snyder, I do have to give him credit for unilaterally deciding to accept the Medicaid expansion, which the legislature had denied twice. Hope you can get signed up soon.
ReplyDeleteAnother voice for reason and sanity. Just think what this country could be with all of the obstructionists out of office.
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy for all Alaskans whom this will benefit. Good job, Governor!