Kentucky: Why We Can't Have Nice Things

According to the Washington Post, Kentucky is the state that will benefit the most by expanding Medicaid coverage with federal money under Obamacare. However, a social worker told me a couple of months ago that Kentucky was not going to participate in the expanded Medicaid part of Obamacare. That's just nuts. So I looked up any news stories about that decision and found out it was not true.

According to the Advisory Board Company, Kentucky has yet to decide the issue. Governor Beshear wants to accept the money and cover 300,000 more Kentuckians, or half of those without insurance.

Beshear made the decision after an internal analysis and outside studies conducted by the University of Louisville and the Price Waterhouse Coopers accounting and actuarial firm. The research concluded that the expansion would create 17,000 new jobs and add $15.6 billion to the state's economy between 2014 and 2021.

However, Tea Party activist David Adams filed a lawsuit to prevent the governor from accepting the federal funds to expand Medicaid. The lawsuit may take months to resolve. I hope Kentuckians who work at McDonalds or Walmart and cannot afford to buy insurance can stay lucky.