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Not Just Rick Scott: Republican Govs Caught Fudging Medicaid Math To Prevent The Most Vulnerable from Receiving Healthcare Over the past few days, Florida Governor Rick Scott has been the subject of intense criticism because of his long history of playing fast and loose with healthcare math as the states chief executive and CEO of Columbia/HCA. But Scotts not the only Republican governor who has gotten caught fudging or completely disregarding Medicaid numbers to avoid providing access to health care to the most vulnerable. From New Jersey to Texas, and South Carolina to Maine, Republican governors have been caught by independent news organizations and fact-checkers playing budget games in the name of extreme conservative ideology.

Heres a sample: NEW JERSEY PolitiFact N.J.: Gov. Chris Christie Repeated False Claim Overstating Expense Of New Jersey Medicaid Program. Following Christies speech, the governor sat down for a question-and-answer session. The discussion turned to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the national health care reform, including the expansion of Medicaid. A place like New Jersey, we have the second-most expensive Medicaid program in the country behind New York, and so our question is gonna be how much more do we really need to expand our program, because we have some of the most generous benefits already, Christie said. PolitiFact New Jersey fact-checked a similar claim by Christie a year ago At the time, three separate analyses covering three fiscal years showed New Jersey ranking ninth each time in overall state spending on Medicaid. The governor received a False. [PolitiFact N.J., 7/9/12] MAINE Gov. Paul LePage Opposes Medicaid Expansion Despite Study Indicating Maine Would Save Money Under The Program. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Urban Institute, Seven states and the District of Columbia would actually save money by expanding their Medicaid programs because they already cover some of the people who would receive benefits and Obamacare increases the federal government's share of the costs for them, according to the report. One of the states that stands to save money is Maine, where Gov. Paul LePage (R) opposes the Medicaid expansion. [Huffington Post, 11/26/12] SOUTH CAROLINA

Richard Kim: Gov. Nikki Haley Wildly Exaggerated Medicaid Expansion Costs. In an analysis for The Nation, Richard Kim wrote, In many cases, Republican governors have wildly exaggerated what Medicaid expansion would actually cost their state. For example, South Carolinas Nikki Haley wrote in an op-ed that the price tag to South Carolina tax payers would be an extra $1.1 to $2.3 billion over the next six years. In fact, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid Expansion and the Uninsured calculated that South Carolina would have to kick in between $470 million and $615 million, depending on how many people chose to enroll. [Richard Kim, The Nation, 7/20/12]

IOWA Gov. Terry Branstad Opposed Medicaid Expansion, Even If It Meant Costing Iowa More. Gov. Terry Branstad today reaffirmed his resistance to expanding Medicaid, a stance that could rebuff $800 million in annual federal money to cover 150,000 poor Iowans who now have no health insurance. The Republican governor has long raised doubts about President Obamas plan to expand Medicaid, which now generally doesnt cover poor adults who lack minor children or serious disabilities Branstad told reporters today that he would not reconsider his opposition to the expansion, even if it means Iowa would be saddled with more costs. He says he believes that the long-term expenses of the expansion would cost Iowa more. [Des Moines Register, 7/2/12] Des Moines Register Editorial: Branstads Medicaid Opposition Does Not Make Fiscal Or Moral Sense. Gov. Terry Branstad has resisted an opportunity to provide thousands of Iowans health insurance through Medicaid. Snubbing this opportunity in the health reform law does not make fiscal or moral sense. The governor should rethink his opposition and agree to participate... Iowa would insure about 100,000 more people and spend about $30 million less per year if the state expands Medicaid, according to a November report by the respected Kaiser Family Foundation. [Des Moines Register Editorial, 12/8/12] VIRGINIA PolitiFact Virginia: Gov. Bob McDonnell Rated Pants on Fire For Claiming States Face Mandate To Expand Medicaid Coverage. After the Supreme Courts ruling on the health care act, McDonnell repeatedly said states still face a mandate to take part in Medicaid expansion provisions in the law. Actually, the courts ruling had the opposite effect. It took away Washingtons ability to punish states that dont take part in the expansion by eliminating their federal Medicaid subsidies. The court ruled states must have a genuine choice whether to take part in the expansion. It is perplexing that McDonnell -- a lawyer for 23 years who served as Virginias attorney general and now commands a knowledgeable gubernatorial staff -- would repeatedly misrepresent a major part of a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court... We rate McDonnells statements Pants on Fire. [PolitiFact Virginia, 7/6/12]

TEXAS FactCheck.org: Gov. Rick Perry "Exaggerated" Texas Medicaid Expansion Costs, $27 Billion Figure "Not True." "Perry exaggerated how much Texas' share of Medicaid costs would increase as a result of the new federal health care law. Perry said the new law would cost Texas '$27 billion more, over and above what we re already paying over the next 10 years, $2.7 billion every year.' That's not true, according to a May 2010 study by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation... Kaiser estimated that Medicaid enrollment in Texas will increase 63.5 percent by 2019. The total Medicaid cost for the state would be $4.5 billion but that's only 5.1 percent more, or $219 million, than it would have been without the new law." [FactCheck.org, 8/15/11]