Opinion

Gov. Perry's cruel fantasy Governor maintains opposition to federal funding to expand state Medicaid

Silly us.

We thought maybe this would be the first legislative session in the last half decade or so without a Rick Perry political campaign to muddy things up.

No such luck.

Supposedly, Perry's planning a second White House run in 2016. Really? After the pasting he took in the 2012 Republican primary, you'd think our veteran governor would know better but Rick Perry is, apparently, unbowed.

Like many Texans, we'd prefer it if the governor stayed focused on important matters at hand in Austin rather than plotting his next national campaign. Perry's fascination with things presidential four years in the future matters quite a lot in the here and now, the 83rd session of the Texas Legislature.

It just isn't helpful, especially when it comes to dealing with problems such as complying with federal law requiring health care for millions of Texans. It appears Perry would make his 2016 run on the backs of some 6 million Texans without health care insurance.

Austin insiders say he's likely to use his opposition to Texas' participation in federal registries required under Obamacare to show the national GOP who can run farthest to the political right in the 2016 presidential primaries.

This is getting old, Governor, especially if you happen to be poor and uninsured in Texas. Legislative sessions are held every two years so state lawmakers can take care of the business that's important to all Texans, not to give an overly ambitious governor a stage to try out for the Big Show in Washington, D.C. And particularly not when that means playing games with the lives of those millions across our state who have the least and are going without health care.

Why is it that Rick Perry refuses to see what is obvious to just about everyone else?

Surely, he understands the folly of refusing billions in federal funding to pay for universal care. Over 10 years, federal funding of expanded Medicaid in Texas could reach $100 billion, much if not most of that sent to the federal Treasury by Texas taxpayers in the first place.

Perry argues that accepting the federal money would force Texas to participate in a system that runs contrary to Texas' needs and Texans' values. He has a point. Our state is younger, less educated, less insured and faster growing than most others.

But that's precisely why there is serious discussion of shaping a "middle way" for Texas on the terms of the state health care registry required under Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act. Ideally, it would be a plan that would meet the needs of Texans while passing muster with the rule makers in Washington.

Our governor would be making better use of his time and ours if he joined in the discussion to make this a reality instead of chasing his personal political fantasies.