Republicans and Medicaid: Things Change When You're at the Line of Scrimmage

Republicans like to say that there's no such thing as a free lunch, America is about taking care of yourself, the government is a poor substitute for charity, and so on.

They say this, of course, until they themselves get hit by a medical emergency or major illness. You can sit back in judgement of the poor all day long when your skin isn't in the game. But when suddenly you're at the line of scrimmage ready to butt heads with fate, wow, things sure do look different, don't they?

Sen. Kirk says stroke changed perspective on Medicaid

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said his debilitating stroke has sparked a new interest in the experience of people on Medicaid. 

In an interview published Wednesday, Kirk said that most Illinois residents insured through the low-income health program would be eligible for just 11 rehabilitation sessions following a stroke. 

"Had I been limited to that I would have had no chance to recover like I did. So unlike before suffering the stroke, I’m much more focused on Medicaid and what my fellow citizens face," Kirk told the Chicago Sun Times.