Like a lot of conservatives, Governor Phil Bryant of Mississippi doesn’t think low-income Americans have any trouble accessing health care because, hey, there’s always the emergency room. And like a lot of conservatives, he doesn’t seem to grasp that emergency rooms cannot adequately serve the primary care needs of millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans. What’s even more depressing is that Bryant uses this tired argument to justify his refusal to expand his state’s Medicaid program to cover more low-income people at no additional cost to the people of Mississippi. Even after an election that seemed to reaffirm popular demand for a strengthened safety net, Bryant prefers to stand behind ideology rather than acting in the best interests of his constituents.
Fortunately, other governors are rediscovering pragmatism. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Tea Party favorite and unabashed finger-wagger, recently announced that her state will proceed with a Medicaid expansion.
Gov. Brewer? Really. She probably just ruined her re-election bid.