Wisconsin continues to head in the opposite financial and political direction of its neighbor to the south. Wisconsin GOP Governor Scott Walker is keeping his state away from Obamacare:
“Wisconsin will not take any action to implement ObamaCare,” he said in a statement shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling. “I am hopeful that political changes in Washington D.C. later this year ultimately end the implementation of this law at the federal level.”
And despite Illinois' economic crisis, Democrat Governor Pat Quinn says he will move boldly and quickly to expand Medicaid after the Supreme Court's decision Thursday:
“The state of Illinois is going forward with the president of our country, President Barack Obama, to expand using Medicaid (to) those that would be covered under the Affordable Care Act,” Quinn said. “That is the law. We’re not backing down.”
Quinn said that the federal assistance provided for the expansion would prevent the state’s Medicaid system from becoming too costly.
Illinois' Republican Treasurer Judy Baar-Topinka cautioned the gleeful governor:
“Illinois is a textbook example of what can happen if financial challenges are not proactively addressed,” Topinka said. “The state needs to learn from experience, and take steps today to address the increased Medicaid costs that will occur in coming months and years.”
