Mark Takano: “Forgive me. I may be speaking--I don't think what I am saying is an exaggeration, but I see that the denial of the…”

“Forgive me. I may be speaking--I don't think what I am saying is an exaggeration, but I see that the denial of the expansion of Medicaid by some of these States is nothing less than a war on the poor. I don't know how else to say it. Twenty-four percent of my congressional district were uninsured before the ACA. I have seen charts and maps of congressional districts color-coded, and I have seen many of those districts in Texas that are at the same level of uninsured as my congressional district. In my congressional district, we benefit greatly from the expansion of our version of Medicaid, which is Medi-Cal. And the beauty is that the expiration is not to end it as of the 31st of March. People who qualify for Medi-Cal can continue to sign up for it year-round. But to think that in Texas that it is not available to people who are low-income, to me, is unconscionable.”