More Republican Governors Sign Onto Medicaid Expansion

04:56

February 22, 2013

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer are among the Republican governors who will participate in the Medicaid expansion. (AP)

President Barack Obama is getting some surprising support for his plan to expand Medicaid to cover 17 million more uninsured Americans.

Republican governors, including Florida's Rick Scott, this week are signing onto the expansion plan.

Scott's support was a real reversal, because his state challenged that part of the law before the U.S. Supreme Court, and basically won when the court ruled last summer that states could opt out of Medicaid expansion.

The argument that expanding Medicaid could save lives and also create jobs and stimulate the economy appears to have swayed Scott and Republican governors from other states, including Michigan, Ohio and Arizona.

Thirteen states have said they won't expand Medicaid and 14 have not yet decided.

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Guest:

Sarah Kliff, health policy reporter for The Washington Post. She tweets @sarahkliff.

This segment aired on February 22, 2013.

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