It’s flying under the radar a bit, but one of the early silver linings to Obamacare is that Medicaid enrollment is going up — not just because Obamacare expanded Medicaid eligibility but because the increased buzz around the new law has prompted previously eligible people who had never signed up for Medicaid to go ahead and enroll.
That success puts the failure of Republican-controlled states to expand Medicaid in even starker relief. The best example might be South Carolina, which is seeing a dramatic jump in Medicaid enrollment even without having expanded Medicaid.
So a big focus for advocates and the Obama White House going forward is how to get those remaining states on board. It might not be as hopeless a cause as you would guess. Here are the five states most likely to reverse course and expand Medicaid in the near future.
