Governor Robert Bentley is taking issue with a recent study claiming that Medicaid expansion is capable of creating more than 30,000 new jobs in the state of Alabama.

According to the website al.com, the governor made the comment that “the studies are all bogus” on Wednesday of this week – saying that the jobs are already there; he went on to say, that he did not dispute that expanding Medicaid – which states have an option of doing under the Affordable Care Act, would create some ancillary jobs.

Bentley said that the Affordable Care Act called for states to expand Medicaid for people making up to 138% of the poverty level – which in 2012 was $15,415 a year for an individual – and for a family of three was $26,344.

The federal government would pay 100% of the cost of expansion for the initial three years – and then would ramp down to 90%.

A ruling last year made expansion optional for the states optional – and Alabama is one of the 25 which have thus far chosen to opt out.

Bentley said he personally felt the entire Affordable Care Act is falling apart.

Studies have estimated that expansion would add about 300,000 people to the state of Alabama’s Medicaid rolls; about 900,000 people in the state already use Medicaid.

(al.com)