Medicaid provides medical benefits to individuals and families who receive health care due to lower incomes and there are more children receiving Medicaid benefits in the state of Louisiana. Working families apply for this benefit because they cannot afford healthcare for their families. The request for this benefit does not consider the person unemployed or disabled; some individuals simply cannot afford to take the additional funds out of their pay. The parents of these children want their families to receive medical benefits for medical, personal or incidental purposes. Governor Jindal would fail the state of Louisiana by resisting Medicaid expansion and leaving millions of residents without health care. Although some parents are irresponsible, the child should not suffer because of the parents' choices. Additionally, seniors should not suffer because they will need Medicare benefits once they are unable to work and care for themselves. As governor of this state, your job should be to protect and help Louisiana residents, not harm those with lower incomes. Medicaid is not hurting the state, but resistance to Medicaid expansion would not be the best choice. According to the Department of Health and Hospitals, Medicaid provides medical benefits to low-income individuals and families. Over one million residents receive health coverage through Medicaid, and the majority of these residents are children under the age of 19. Federal poverty level income guidelines determine eligibility for Medicaid along with receipt of Supplemental Security Income from the Social Security Administration or financial assistance from the Office of Family Support through Temporary Family Independence ......middle of paper......siana, but for others in the country. Part of me believes that individuals should learn to be more responsible and independent, but I also don't believe it would be right to leave those individuals without health. Additionally, for working parents, health care is sometimes too much for their families, which may lead them to look into Medicaid programs alongside the new health care reform. Those parents should not be penalized along with their children. Seniors should also have the ability to have health coverage because some of them have worked hard for much of their lives to get Medicare benefits in retirement. Hopefully, politicians can come together to make Medicaid and this reform effective instead of just excluding it. With all the ideas, they can probably make this program a success even if many don't agree.