Alaska’s Gov. Bill Walker moved to expand Medicaid, saying he will ask the 
administration to offer Medicaid coverage to all qualifying residents of the state. Noting that Alaska’s legislature had previously rejected expanding Medicaid, Walker gave legislators 45 days to call a special session if they want to stop him.
If the lawmakers don’t block Walker’s decision, Alaska will become the 30th state, plus the District of Columbia, to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Governors in three other states – Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio – have expanded Medicaid without full legislative approval. Montana is negotiating terms of its participation with administration officials.
In Alaska, 25,000 additional residents stand to be covered by Medicaid as a result of Walker’s decision, an increase of about 22% over current enrollment. President Obama recently noted that expanding Medicaid in all states would extend health insurance coverage to 4 million more Americans.
Walker, a former Republican who won his post running as an Independent, said his unilateral action “is the final option for me. I’ve tried everything else.”
Walker added, “Every day that we fail to act, Alaska loses out of $400,000. It would be foolish for us to pass up that kind of boost to Alaska’s economy.”
Under the ACA, the federal government reimburses 100% of a state’s cost for expanding Medicaid through 2016, and 90% thereafter.
