Governor Dennis Daugaard says he stands by his decision not to grow South Dakota’s Medicaid program for now. This comes one day after a poll shows a majority of South Dakotans supports expanding Medicaid. Some 20,000 adults in South Dakota make too much for current Medicaid standards but too little to purchase insurance on the new health insurance exchange. Daugaard says he doesn’t recommend expanding Medicaid this year.
"So I think it’s worth seeing how this plays out, and I think it’s also worth encourage those who want insurance and can be subsidized to go get it, to help themselves," Daugaard says. "So I think it’s worth seeing how this plays out. And it’s not a never; it’s a not-now decision."
Daugaard says it’s worth being careful and patient because the rollout of the health insurance exchange relies on young, healthy people signing up for coverage. He says that’s unreliable so far.
The polling released from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network says 63 percent of the 400 people surveyed want South Dakota to expand Medicaid.