Nevada's Republican governor doesn't agree with the Obamacare plan, but says as long as it's law, he's "all in" to implement it successfully in his state, which ranks as No. 2 nationwide in uninsured residents.
Gov. Brian Sandoval, seen as a possible vice presidential candidate of the future, is doing more than any other GOP governor to pave the way for the Affordable Care act, expanding both his state exchange and Medicaid enrollment,
Politico.com reported.
Such investment in a law so unpopular with many in his party has not hurt him in his state, where he is headed toward re-election without a strong opponent, Politico reported.
He has said in the past he'd like to see the law repealed, but told Politico in an email: " “I opposed the Affordable Care Act from its inception."
How his political credibility is impacted nationally remains unseen in the wake of his support.
“I don’t think most Americans know that he’s one of the only Republican governors to implement,” the law," Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.
That doesn't mean that Sandoval has been quiet about its shortcomings and his disdain for the president in its rollout.
“The fact is the president misled the American people when he promised they could keep their insurance if they liked it,” he told Politico.
In the wake of the president's shuffle on allowing consumers to keep their own plans if they like them, Sandoval has also stepped forward to urge the Obama to make changes to fix the struggling program,
the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
"Without a doubt, the president’s actions this week are a direct acknowledgement that the law is unworkable,” Sandoval told the Review-Journal in November. “What’s more, the announcement yesterday does not fix any problems and only adds more confusion. I strongly urge the president and Congress to reconsider this law.”
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