Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) on Monday said the state will join the Medicaid expansion under the new federal health care law, the Associated Press reported.
Her announcement came as a surprise to many observers, and it distinguishes Brewer from other Republican governors. The Supreme Court’s ruling last summer on the Affordable Care Act, widely known as “Obamacare,” made the Medicaid expansion under the federal law optional and state leaders such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) have already opted out.
But in her State of the State address on Monday, Brewer rejected the notion that a rejection of the expansion would reduce the federal government’s deficit.
