Governor Beshear says he never hesitated to embrace the federal Affordable Care Act because the state’s collective health was “horrendous.” The Democrat spoke in Washington on Friday (Jan. 24) to the Winter Conference of Families USA.
When Congress passed the ACA, Beshear says, 640-thousand Kentuckians lived in fear that illness would bankrupt their family. He says that’s why many of them didn’t visit the doctor.
“Their children go long periods without check-ups that focus on immunizations, on preventive care, on vision tests, on hearing tests…folks, that’s unacceptable. The short answer to why is Kentucky being so aggressive in implementing the ACA, because it’s the morally right thing to do.” –Gov. Steve Beshear
Beshear says 175-thousand previously uninsured Kentuckians now have coverage through expanded Medicaid or a state-approved health plan. Kentucky is the only southern state to have created its own health insurance exchange.
