Texas Under Perry Gets Plenty from Uncle Sam

The state of Texas is doing well at receiving its share of federal money under GOP Gov. Rick Perry. But as a presidential candidate running against the intrusion of Uncle Sam into the states, he has to be careful about how he handles this issue, Politico reports.

Perry has expressed strong opposition both to President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law and his stimulus program, but Texas has benefited handsomely from both.

Texas has taken in $17 billion from the stimulus package, and the state’s businesses and agencies have received more than $380 million in early grants and other aid from Obamacare. In addition, Texas awaits final approval of a new waiver from federal Medicaid rules that could give the state another $12 billion from the feds.

Once the main parts of the new healthcare law kick in, assuming the Supreme Court doesn’t overturn it, the bounty could really mushroom for Texas -- billions of dollars in extra Medicaid funds and subsidies to help people buy private health insurance coverage through a new exchange.

Texas could see $53 billion to $67 billion of Medicaid money alone by 2019, according to the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. That beats out every other state in the union.

Perry is happy to defend the Medicaid waiver money. “Texas taxpayers send a substantial amount of money to Washington, D.C., and this waiver will ensure that Texas receives its fair share,” Perry spokesman Josh Havens told Politico.