Gov. Mike Beebe is touting a new Gallup report that says Arkansas leads the country in reducing the number of citizens who are uninsured. Thank you Obamacare.
During the first six months of 2014, the rate of uninsured in Arkansas fell from 22.5 to 12.4%. This means 45 percent of the Arkansas who did not have health coverage now are insured, either through the private option version of Medicaid expansion provided by Obamacare or by the subsidized health exchanges that also were a part of the national legislation.
“When we worked with the Arkansas Legislature to pass the Private Option, we said it would make Arkansas a national leader for innovative health-care solutions, and this report proves that to be true,” Governor Mike Beebe said. “Even though not everyone was happy with the circumstances surrounding the Affordable Care Act in our state, we showed that we could find a bipartisan path to make the best of the situation and help our people.”
Beebe’s office added that, In 2013, Arkansas ranked next to last among states, ahead of only Texas, for its uninsured rate. It’s now tied for 22d.
And still, every major statewide Republican candidate is running a campaign based almost wholly on the evils of Barack Obama and Obamacare.
Their ads tell us repeatedly what a terrible thing Obamcare has been for Arkansas, though they omit details of how that is so.
It seems to me that those 45 percent might think Obamacare wasn’t a bad thing. And the people whose livelihood depends on serving those people might find some positives as well.
SPEAKING OF OBAMACARE: A friend recommends Time magazines’ report (subscription reqd.) on how Kentucky also got Obamacare right. Something like 500,000 people, or 82 percent, signed up.