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Sigh
Me too. Its terrible. Maybe we can begin softening them a bit over the next few months. Were going to
have to be prepared with reaction when SCOTUS comes out with their opinion hopefully the right
way and its going to have to be strongly worded.
-----------------------------------------Matt Kennicott
Communications Director | New Mexico Human Services Department | Office of the Secretary
O: (505) 827-6236 | M:(505) 819-1402
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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That so sucks. This state and the people who think its OK to live off of other people is going to drive
me crazy.
It all boils down to polling and not saying something that will upset the approval numbers.
-----------------------------------------Matt Kennicott
Communications Director | New Mexico Human Services Department | Office of the Secretary
O: (505) 827-6236 | M:(505) 819-1402
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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From: Squier, Sidonie, HSD
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 9:51 AM
To: Kennicott, Matt, HSD
Subject: RE:
I hate that we get lumped in here because Gary King filed an amicus and the Govs Office is too afraid
to say anything against the law. Ugh!!!
A group of attorneys general and a governor filed an amicus brief in February with the U.S. Supreme
Court in support of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion.
The friend-of-the-court brief urges the court to disregard arguments made by plaintiffs in Florida and 25
other states, who say the law's expansion of Medicaid is an attack on the federalist system.
The ACA requires states to expand Medicaid coverage to all individuals younger than 65 with incomes
of up to 133% of the poverty level. Opponents argue the expansion would strain state budgets and
have asked the court to apply the coercion doctrine.
The Medicaid expansion significantly changes who is eligible for Medicaid, but the ACA does not
change the basic structure of the program, the brief states. The ACA thus strikes an appropriate, and
constitutional, balance between national requirements that will expand access to affordable healthcare
and state flexibility to design programs that achieve that goal.
The state attorneys general are from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire
(D) also joined the amicus brief.
-----------------------------------------Matt Kennicott
Communications Director | New Mexico Human Services Department | Office of the Secretary
O: (505) 827-6236 | M:(505) 819-1402
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Centennial Logo