Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) along with Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Keith Ellison (D-MN) and 43 CPC members sent a letter to all 50 state governors calling on them to set aside politics and publicly support the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid in their respective states.

By expanding Medicaid, the nation’s largest health care provider for families and children, the healthcare law will cover an estimated 17 million Americans who currently lack health coverage and cannot afford it. Struggling families and individuals across the country will soon be able to go to the doctor without fear of breaking the bank. If governors reject the expansion, millions of Americans will be left without healthcare coverage.

"Each day, children and adults contract illnesses that Medicaid helps to prevent.  It is truly disheartening that their health is now in the hands of state governors misguided by political theater.  Now is not the time to play politics, putting the health and prosperity of the millions of American lives at risk," Rangel said.  "I urge my Colleagues to join us in supporting the Affordable Care Act in its expansion of Medicaid, to broaden the reach of quality healthcare to thousands of individuals across the country who desperately need it."

Beginning in 2014, the federal government will provide states with 100 percent of the funds they will need to add eligible individuals in the first three years. The federal government will gradually reduce its share to 90 percent for 2020 and beyond. The expansion will provide individuals with necessary preventive care, which costs far less than emergency medical care. It will also help doctors and hospitals by decreasing the high costs of caring for the uninsured.