In my travels around the country, I've noticed most people, regardless of party label, want our leaders to address our problems and find common solutions. Some leaders -- many of our mayors and governors -- have had enough of the obstruction and gridlock that rules Congress. They're going directly to the president -- and he to them -- to seek out pragmatic, cooperative solutions.
In some states, though, Medicaid expansion has become the prop for national ideologues. But not all of them. Several Republican governors who fiercely fought Obamacare have put aside personal preference for the good of their people. Recognizing that health care is a part of their responsibility to the working poor, the Republican governors of Wisconsin, Arizona and Ohio have embraced Medicaid expansion.
A few facts: The federal government will cover 100 percent of Medicaid expansion through 2016, 94 percent from 2017-19 and 90 percent after 2020. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have implemented Medicaid expansion, providing health coverage to almost 9 million Americans. But 25 states have balked, leaving approximately 10 million Americans uncovered or without access. (Two other states, Florida and Pennsylvania, have yet to decide.)
Further, Medicaid has a proven track record: Next year we will celebrate its golden anniversary -- 50 years.
My home state, Louisiana, is not -- as of today -- expanding Medicaid. It's being blocked by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu has put a petition on her website asking Jindal to permit Medicaid expansion.
Mary, who served in the Legislature and was state treasurer before becoming senator, is a smart pol -- upfront and gutsy. She voted for Obamacare, but is also focused on fixing its flaws.
Last year, when it became apparent the health care transition might mean some would lose coverage, Landrieu led the fight to make things right. This week, President Obama extended the time that people can keep their current insurance to three years.
Landrieu knows the benefits that expanding Medicaid can bring to Louisiana. I know it, too. I return home often. A lot of the people with whom I grew up, and often their children -- good, working people -- need this health care. And as a New Orleans Times-Picayune editorial, published on its nola.com website, points out, Medicaid expansion would also be good for Louisiana's economy.
It's time Gov. Jindal and others opposed to lending a hand to the needy reconsider their political obstructions.
Donna Brazile is a senior Democratic strategist, a political commentator and contributor to CNN and ABC News.