February 19, 2016 11:17AM 

# John Kasich’s ObamaCare Duplicity 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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Ohio governor and GOP presidential hopeful John Kasich says he opposes ObamaCare. Yet somehow, he has managed to embrace the law in every possible way. [He wanted to implement an Exchange](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2016/02/18/ohio-gov-john-kasich-was-for-an-obamacare-exchange-before-he-was-against-it-part-2), even if it was clearly unconstitutional under Ohio law. He [denounced](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2016/02/18/john-kasich-sided-with-obama-against-republicans-to-implement-obamacare-medicaid-expansion-part-4) the Medicaid expansion’s “large and unsustainable costs,” which “will just rack up higher deficits…leaving future generations to pick up the tab.” Then he went ahead and implemented it anyway. Worse, he did so unilaterally, after the Ohio legislature passed legislation prohibiting him from doing so (which he vetoed). When Republican legislators and pro-life groups filed suit to stop him, Kasich defended his power-grab all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court.

![Media Name: 1137807.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/frinkiac.com/39997359701/1137807.jpg?itok=3WunXXlP) 

Kasich’s defense of his record on ObamaCare has been…less than honest. Just one example: in a town hall meeting in South Carolina last night, Kasich [railed](http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2016/02/18/rush-transcript-governor-john-kasichcnn-republican-presidential-town-hall-columbia-sc/) against how ObamaCare increases the cost of health care at the same time he boasted he has constrained Medicaid spending in Ohio. In fact, Kasich’s unilateral Medicaid expansion not only increased the cost of Medicaid to taxpayers nationwide, but according to [Jonathan Ingram](https://twitter.com/ingramlaw/status/700531027538644993) of the Foundation for Government Accountability, it “has run $2.7 billion over budget so far \[and\] is set to run $8 billion over budget by 2017.”

For more examples of Kasich’s ObamaCare duplicity, see my new four-part (yet highly readable!) series at [Dar​wins​Fool​.com](http://www.darwinsfool.com):

- *[Gov. Kasich, Stop Misquoting Me To Distract From Your Support For ObamaCare (Part 1)](http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelcannon/2016/02/18/gov-kasich-please-stop-misquoting-me-to-distract-from-your-support-for-obamacare/)*
- *[Ohio Gov. John Kasich Was For An ObamaCare Exchange–Before He Was Against It (Part 2)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2016/02/18/ohio-gov-john-kasich-was-for-an-obamacare-exchange-before-he-was-against-it-part-2)*
- *[Ohio Gov. John Kasich Falsely Claims He ‘Sued The Administration’ Over ObamaCare (Part 3)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2016/02/18/ohio-gov-john-kasich-falsely-claims-he-sued-the-administration-over-obamacare-part-3)*
- *[John Kasich Sided With Obama Against Republicans To Implement ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion (Part 4)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2016/02/18/john-kasich-sided-with-obama-against-republicans-to-implement-obamacare-medicaid-expansion-part-4)*

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

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