Final Word: Gov. Brewer, Obama both correct about Medicaid

Here’s something I have said — never.

There’s something interesting going on down at the State Capitol.
And it has to do with the state budget.
And the governor is on the right, or shall I say “correct” side of it. And so is the president of the United States.

I know, not possible, right?

Here it is.

The governor thinks that expanding Medicaid (allowing more Arizonans access to AHCCCs, our version of the Medicaid plan) is good for the economy because it makes us eligible for $1.6 billion every year as part of Obamacare.

There are already 1.3 million Arizonans on our state Medicaid/AHCCCS rolls anyway. That’s a lot of working poor, both adults and children. But Arizona does a particularly good job at Medicaid — it might be one of Arizona’s best-kept secrets.

But here’s the thing. We know Jan Brewer doesn’t like Obamacare. We know she doesn’t like Obama! But she looked at the numbers and decided that expanding Medicaid was best for the state. She can’t run for governor again, so she’s not pandering to an electorate. In fact, she is bucking her own party for what she thinks is right for the state. Are we really to believe she has some other motivation?

Let’s hope common sense prevails at the legislature and she gets this done.