Republican governors hoping to be president have all fallen over themselves and each other, trying to be the one who hates Obamacare the most. That extends in most cases to the very public refusal to expand Medicaid. But privately, in the inner workings of state government where few are paying attention, they're all getting some of that
free Obamacare money.
Governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, all staunch opponents of President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act, have collectively applied for and won at least $352 million through grant programs set up by the law, federal records show. […]
Some of these programs were established by Obamacare, while others had existed in other forms and were expanded by the law.
For example, the law included $1.5 billion to enable medical workers to visit new mothers at home. The money has enabled some states to set up programs where none had existed and allowed others to expand existing programs. Wisconsin has more than doubled its home-visit program under Obamacare, according to state documents.
Perry led the way, taking nearly $150 million for the state of Texas. Christie comes in second with $75 milllion, followed by Walker at about $70 million and Jindal at about $60 million. These grants, by the way, were not automatically granted to states—they had to be applied for. But all that happens behind the scenes, where their tea party backers aren't going to notice.