Rick Perry: GOP Governors Will 'Rue' Approving Medicaid Expansions

During a Monday press conference, Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) withstood pressure from Democrats and some Republicans to back down from his opposition to a Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

 “It would benefit no one in our state to see their taxes skyrocket and our economy crushed as our budget crumbled under the weight of oppressive Medicaid costs,” said Perry.

With the nation’s largest uninsured population in the U.S., Texas would receive an estimated $90 billion in federal funding over the next ten years under the Obamacare provision.

At last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Perry affirmed his commitment to providing lasting healthcare to low-income Texans.

“We care about our poorest Texans,” said Perry.  “We want them to have the best care possible, and that cannot happen with a program that is on its way to bankruptcy.”

While some GOP governors who oppose Obamacare have decided to move forward with expanding Medicaid eligibility, Perry says that is a mistake and that they will “come to rue the day, because Medicaid will take a larger and larger share of their state budgets.”

Perry, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last cycle, has not ruled out a 2016 bid for the White House.