Ohio tea party groups oppose Medicaid expansion

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Leaders of several tea party groups in Ohio are letting the governor know they’re against his plan to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income residents.

The groups say they’ve sent a letter to Gov. John Kasich telling him where they stand.

Their stance isn’t a surprise since most already have come out against President Barack Obama’s health-care law that includes the Medicaid expansion.

The heads of the Tea Party Patriots in Ohio say that expanding Medicaid will be too costly and won’t reduce high health-care costs in the future.

The governor says allowing Medicaid to cover more people will help the state recapture Ohio taxpayers’ money because the federal government will pay the entire cost of the expansion for the first three years.