TOO BAD: Asa Hutchinson laments Graham-Cassidy defeat.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says here that he’s sorry about the defeat yesterday of the Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal which would have thrown millions in America off health care coverage, drastically reduced Medicaid money for the states (with a disproportionate impact on  Arkansas) and ended federal law protection against ruinous insurance rates for people with pre-existing illnesses.

I feel comfortable in saying that the more than 300,000 Arkansans who’ve benefitted from the Obamacare Medicaid expansion — and countless others helped by other parts of the Affordable Care Act — don’t share the governor’s sadness.

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Said Hutchinson:

“Despite the failure of Graham-Cassidy, and regardless of the constraints of the current system, I am committed to our ongoing reform efforts in Arkansas Works and traditional Medicaid, and will continue to focus on creating a more efficient, sustainable system of healthcare in The Natural State for future generations.”

Translation: He’s forging ahead with plans to strip at least 60,000 Arkansans of coverage in a bigger long-range plan to reduce Arkansas support for the medically needy. This apparently will continue to make at least some Republican voters happy.

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A fascinating article by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s John Moritz illustrated. It was about a Republican primary race shaping up to succeed Rep. Bob Ballinger (Neanderthal-Hindsville) because he’s seeking a Senate seat. Gary Morris of Sonora said he’s a long-standing Republican, but has decided to run as a Democrat because he supported the Medicaid expansion. He was informed that this position was unacceptable by other Republicans at a Washington County GOP event. That attitude apparently helped prompt the other announced candidate, Harlan Breaux, to reconsider his previous support for the Medicaid expansion. Now he’s decided it’s too expensive.

Wedge issue? We shall see.

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