Kentucky governor: Medicaid expansion will bring in $1B

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is making his case for the state’s expansion of Medicaid under ObamaCare, claiming the move will bring in $1 billion within seven years.

Beshear, a two-time Democratic governor in a mostly red state, is looking to bury concerns that the growing costs of Medicaid would tank the state’s budget.

In a study released Thursday, the governor’s office reported that Medicaid expansion was an even bigger boon to the state’s economy than expected — even though the state’s signups for the program were nearly twice as expected.  

“Today, we remove the final reason Kentucky critics have for not supporting the Affordable Care Act,” Beshear told reporters.

“An avalanche of facts that demonstrate to the satisfaction of anyone and everyone with an open mind that Kentucky can indeed afford to take care of its people. In fact, we can’t afford not to,” he added.

Expansion of the low-income healthcare program has been one of the most controversial pieces of ObamaCare for states — particularly those with mostly conservative electorates.  

A majority of Republican governors have maintained the pre-ObamaCare eligibility, which largely covers only children and pregnant women.

While Medicaid expansion remains a litmus test for some GOP governors, conservative leaders of states like Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio have recently taken strides to expand the program.

The federal government covers all costs of Medicaid through 2017.