Texas Governor Rick Perry reiterated his stance on Medicaid expansion during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. this week:
“I say Medicaid doesn’t need to expanded it needs to be saved and reformed. We care about our poorest Texans. We want them to have the best care possible and that cannot happen with a program that is on its way to bankruptcy.”
The governor has one bill awaiting his signature from the Texas house and another from the senate that pays off the state’s past two years of Medicaid debt. When it comes to the current plan, Perry advocates for a Texas-centric plan that would allow the state to bill Medicaid recipients:
“We need a Medicaid program that emphasizes personal responsibility with co-pays on a sliding scale. [We need] deductibles and premium payments for emergency room care. And small contributions so patients take ownership of their utilization of care.”
Perry also spoke of the need for "asset tests" to determine that care is being provided for those who really need it. He ended his speech before the CPAC audience with the promise that he would not accept the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act in any form.
Watch the full speech below.
