In his press conference today, President Obama took a minute out to address states which have denied Medicaid to poor residents.
April 17, 2014

President Obama made a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing, mostly to celebrate the most recent ACA enrollment numbers and to take questions from reporters.

After announcing that 8 million people signed up for health insurance through the exchanges, he chided Republicans for clinging to their failing narrative about the failure of the Affordable Care Act.

In response to a reporter's question about whether Republicans would ever come to a point where they would work with Democrats on technical fixes to the law, the President acknowledged that Republicans are going through the stages of grief, but haven't yet reached the acceptance stage.

Almost as an afterthought, but with more passion than any other answer, he then circled around to chide Republicans for denying health care to the poorest Americans. Expressing his frustration with their stubborn refusal to agree to expansion, the President addressed "states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid for no other reason than political spite."

An aggravated Obama said "you've got 5 million people who could be having health insurance right now at no cost to these states...they have chosen not to provide health insurance for their citizens. That's wrong. It should stop. Those folks should be able to get health insurance like everybody else."

I'm sure his remarks won't have any impact on those state lawmakers, since they consider poor people to be below the dust under their feet, but I sure hope those who have been denied access to health care in those states get out and vote in November to toss out the people who think they're unworthy to receive basic human needs.

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