Gov. Tim Pawlenty often puts his own political ambitions ahead of his state’s best interests. But his opposition to a federal expansion of Medicaid ranks as one of his most naked bids for favor with the Republican Party with careless disregard for the consequences.

Minnesota was one of just 11 states given the chance to enroll early in an expanded Medicaid program as a reward for its efficiency and leadership in providing health care for the state’s most vulnerable citizens. But Pawlenty officially rejected that opportunity in June when he opted not to have the state participate.

Health care providers and industry leaders, such as the Minnesota Hospital Association, were deeply disappointed by the governor’s decision, which will leave many of the state’s poorest residents without adequate access to health care, continue to woefully underfund health care providers and eliminate potentially thousands of new health care jobs that would have been created through enrollment in the Medicaid program.

The governor claimed his decision was based on economics, declaring that early participation in the program would cost the state $430 million over the next three years and imperil the state’s budget.

“The last thing we should do right now is ...enmesh the state in an expensive federal health program that does nothing to control costs or impose reform,” he said in a statement announcing his decision.

But the governor’s numbers are suspect. His figures failed to include the resulting savings to the state’s health care access fund, which pays for MinnesotaCare. The state’s actual costs over three years would be closer to $188 million to obtain more than $1.4 billion in federal aid. In other words, for every $1 that Minnesota invested in providing health care to our poorest residents, the state would get $7.45 back through matching federal funds. Most Minnesotans would consider that a windfall.

As for straining the state’s finances, Pawlenty has done more than his share to weaken the state by his refusal to consider any changes in income or other taxes that would have produced more revenue to help balance the budget.

Instead, he has raided the state’s coffers and used accounting gimmicks that offered no long-term solution to the state’s budget crisis. The result is that Minnesota faces an even larger deficit , somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 billion to $6 billion, in the next budget cycle. Even bleaker, an analysis of city finances by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute indicates that many Minnesota cities, which have seen Local Government Aid fall during Pawlenty’s tenure, will be broke in five years if current revenue and spending trends continue.

Instead of facing unpleasant truths, Pawlenty would rather spout partisan rhetoric to solidify his standing in the Republican Party. He and other Republicans attacked the Medicaid expansion as “Obamacare,” suggesting it was an attempt to introduce a new socialized medical program.

Never mind the fact the Medicaid has been part of the health care picture for decades. About a half million Minnesotans already receive health care through Medicaid and neighboring Wisconsin has provided health insurance for its poorest adults through the Medicaid program for years.

Meanwhile, the state’s reforms for General Assistance Medical Care will do little to help with a growing health care crisis that has swamped hospitals with thousands of dollars in uncompensated care as more people lose insurance or see their co-pays rise beyond their means.

It’s bad enough that the governor puts his own political career first, but when he has to step on the backs of the state’s most vulnerable to support his own rise, it’s more than just shameful. It’s a betrayal of the state that he’s sworn to serve.