New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) enjoyed a standing ovation for launching an anti-Obamacare zinger at a town hall Tuesday, but he did praise one major part of the law: the Medicaid expansion.
“We expanded Medicaid, because we believe that folks are better off going to see physicians and having care than going to emergency rooms all the time,” he said, as quoted by CNN. “But the rest of this program does not make any sense.”
With Christie’s support, New Jersey adopted the Medicaid expansion, which lets states accept federal dollars to cover residents up to 133 percent of the poverty line. The Supreme Court made the expansion optional. The issue has split Republican governors, who are torn between wanting to help their uninsured residents at no cost to their state for the first three years, and pressure from conservatives who want to thwart Obamacare at all costs.
While announcing his support for the expansion, Christie made clear he doesn’t support Obamacare but didn’t want to forgo the opportunity that other states are taking advantage of.
