The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Thousand of Iowa veterans are left uninsured by Governor Branstad’s refusal to expand Medicaid.

A progressive lobbying group said that the failure to expand the program would hurt Iowa veterans.

Progress Iowa’s Matt Sinovic said in a press release issue on Tuesday that nearly half of the state’s 10,000 uninsured veterans would benefit from the expansion.

Governor Branstad remains opposed and said that he questions the federal government’s commitment to funding the program past the initial three years.

“Well I didn't vote for “Dumstead” in the first place either term. And veterans as a rule get the short end of the stick. The government wants them to go protect them. They want them to do the right thing, make the oil fields rich so the oil companies get rich. And then when they come home and are all busted up, the government don't want to do anything to help them,” said Benny Whitson, Vietnam War Veteran.