Gov. Rick Perry reiterated his stance against Medicaid expansion today at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC. Texas is the last large state still opting out of the expansion of Medicaid to people earning more than traditional recipients who still cannot afford private insurance.
In his speech, Perry chastised other Republican governors who he said have “folded in the face of federal bribery.”
Perry said Texas would only take part in the expansion, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, if the program offered more flexibility.
“We need a Medicaid program that emphasizes personal responsibility with co-pays on a sliding scale, deductibles and premiums payments for emergency room care, small contributions, so patients take ownership over their utilization of care,” Perry said.
Perry’s call for flexibility was also spelled out in a letter he sent today to members of the Texas congressional delegation. Recent studies find that Texas would have to spend $15 billion over 10 years on Medicaid expansion to get $100 billion from the federal government.
