In an open letter to President Barack Obama, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) said Thursday that he would like to meet personally with him to discuss Pence’s proposal to expand Medicaid under Obamacare.
Under Pence and the Republican-controlled legislature, Indiana was one of more than 20 states initially refused to expand Medicaid this year, leaving 182,000 people uncovered. But Pence, like several other GOP governors, has since opened up to the idea — provided the administration meets his conditions.
Pence has proposed an alternative form of Medicaid expansion, using an existing state program. It includes some provisions that the administration might not be willing to accept. Those would, for example, include allowing coverage to be revoked if an enrollee fails to make payments toward their health care..
“I have been made aware that issues have arisen in my administration’s ongoing discussion with HHS that threaten to compromise the Healthy Indiana Plan’s effectiveness,” Pence wrote in the open letter published by the Journal-Gazette in Fort Wayne. “Our administration will not support efforts to remove or water down the Healthy Indiana Plan’s core principles, essentially changing this proven program into an expansion of traditional Medicaid.”
Pence said he was meeting next week with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, but would like the chance to meet one-on-one with Obama. The president will be in Indiana in Friday, according to WTHR in Indianapolis.
“To that end, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you briefly on this important matter upon your arrival in Indiana, or at your earliest convenience,” Pence said in the letter. “For the sake of low-income families in my state, I will continue to work in good faith with your administration to expand access to the Healthy Indiana Plan.”
“For the sake of low-income families in my state, I will continue to work in good faith…”
Does. Not. Compute.
Why does Pence ask President Obama for his precious time when he could
just send a policy paper to be reviewed. Anything Pence offers is just
another right wing nut piece, the President already knows, don’t waste his time.
An open letter is a gimick, designed to make political points. The President does not review such proposals, nor does it evaluate them. He has an entire department at DHHS to do that.
The Governor knows that. He just wants it to look like he is doing something to expand coverage, when in fact he isn’t, and then he can complain when DHHS calls him on it.
PR stunt. He could have mailed the request directly to the White House. Publishing it in a newspaper isn’t exactly following protocol.
I bet if Mike had picked up the phone Obama would have been happy to meet with him, but nooooooo Mikey had to make it political stunt which means he is not serious.