I’ve been a lifelong Republican, born and raised a conservative.

I still have a picture of me standing with George W. Bush in a Bass Pro shirt after working at an event for him.

Although we were poor, my single mother taught me that work is good for the soul and that anything that disincentivizes work is bad for the individual and our community.

So, initially, I did not support the Affordable Care Act when it first became law in 2010. I was against Medicaid expansion in those early years.

But today, I’m writing in full support of expanding Medicaid. Here’s why.

For 11 years I was a hospital CEO in two rural Kansas towns: Ashland Health Center in Clark County and Kearny County Hospital in Lakin.

During these years, I saw firsthand how uncompensated emergency care for uninsured Kansans drove up the cost of health care for all of us. Not only did that mean all Kansans had to pay more for health care — it also meant that our hospital had to scrape together the money to stay open.

We weren’t alone.