The irony is that of the 10 states, most are in the South. Nine of the ten governors are Republicans and going on record not to implement the Affordable Healthcare Act.
This coming from Governor Bobby Jindel on Meet the Press this morning:
WHILE THESE ARE THE STATICS ABOUT HIS STATE:
2. Louisiana
> Excess deaths from a lack of insurance (per 100,000): 14.94
> Percent of population uninsured: 17.8 percent (10th highest)
> Percent living below the poverty line: 18.7 percent (sixth highest)
> Life expectancy at birth: 75.39 years (fourth lowest)
Louisiana has one of the lowest life expectancies at birth in the U.S. at 75.4 years. Though much of this certainly can be attributed to poor health choices "the state has a higher number of smokers and its residents eat comparatively little fruit or vegetables" the inability of many residents to receive proper care due to lack of insurance is also a contributing factor. In Louisiana, 17.8 percent of the population goes without health insurance, despite the fact that 21.9 percent of the population qualifies for Medicaid â the fifth-highest proportion among all 50 states. The high uninsurance rate is partly due to the relative economic disadvantage of the state's residents. With 18.7 percent of residents living below the poverty line "the sixth-highest rate in the nation" and a median income that is more than $5,000 lower than the U.S. average, just 58.39 percent of state residents have private insurance. That is the fourth-lowest such rate in the nation.
Then we have the ever slimy, but colorful Governor Rick Scott of Florida, who has stated publicly he will not implement the law, but surely has a lot of folks NOT INSURED there:
"We sre not going to implement Obamacare in Florida," Scott told Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren on Friday night. "We are not going to expand Medicaid because we are going to do the right thing. We are not going to do the exchange."
But here are the FACTS of folks dying for healthcare in his state, and I mean literally, dying:
6. Florida
> Excess deaths from a lack of insurance (per 100,000): 12.06
> Pct. of population uninsured: 21.3% (3rd highest)
> Pct. living below the poverty line: 16.5% (16th highest)
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years (12th highest)
The sheer number of excess deaths from a lack of insurance in Florida is staggering: 12,336 from 2005 through 2010. The driving factor for this imposing total is that 21.3% of the population is uninsured "the third-highest rate among all states. Floridians may have difficulty affording health insurance" median income was just $44,400 in 2010. Meanwhile, only 45.7% of residents have employer-based health insurance, while just 15.6% of residents received Medicaid benefits. Both of these rates are among the lowest in the country.
Oh, let's not forget the GOP golden boy, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) on This Week, this morning making NO SENSE:
In the end, these GOP Governors will eventually implement the known "Obamacare" because they will be forced to do so. How? By the skyrocketing costs in their states, by their constituents once finding out what this law is about will demand some healthcare, too.
How can the Republicans run for repealing this law, which has already started in pieces, but have offered nothing to describe their own healthcare plan? Just Ask Mitt:
Mr. Romney says he will do away with it on his first day in office; Jan. 20 could be busy for him, as he also has vowed to repeal the financial regulatory law and to declare China a currency manipulator on that day.
There is a huge void with the "replace" commitment that the Romney campaign calculates it can finesse until after the election.
A vigilant news media will make that impossible, which is one of the reasons the Republican nominee is so inaccessible. An example: Mr. Romney has said he wants to make sure that Americans with pre-existing conditions do not lose their current health insurance. What he doesn't say is that he would not keep the provision ensuring this protection in the current law. What would he do? Simply say tough luck to people with disabilities?
In the end, while the rallying of REPEAL OBAMACARE is red meat for the GOP constituents, the reality is that people have or are moving on from this debate and have accepting the final word from the Supreme Court.
The GOP can play pattycakes with this rhetoric, but it won't help them in the end. People want to know what THEY will do, what THEIR plan is and right now it simply is NOTHING.
Read full article on the dying 10 states, here.
P.S. The opening of Jay Leno's perception of President Obama's learning about the law being upheld is hilarious, first 1:30 of this clip:
