Obama encourages Medicaid expansion in #AskPOTUS question-answer

NASHVILLE, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama encouraged states that haven't expanded Medicaid to do so Wednesday during a question-and-answer session on Twitter.

The president took to Twitter for about 40 minutes to answer followers' questions mostly about the Affordable Care Act.

The first question came from Dylan Green, who asked what Obama's plans were to continue expanding access to affordable health insurance in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the law.

"We need to encourage states to take advantage of Medicaid expansion," Obama tweeted. "Could insure 4 [million] more people in 22 states!"

He repeated the appeal later when another follower, Kat Robison, asked how he is working to fix the "huge coverage gap with the ACA."

"Now's the time to encourage states that held off for political reasons to do the right thing," Obama tweeted. "Contact state officials!"

The ACA, or Obamacare, provided additional federal funding to states to expand Medicaid funding programs. Obama conducted his #AskPOTUS session from Nashville, where he spoke at an elementary school, encouraging Tennessee lawmakers to come to an agreement on expanding health care coverage.

Obama's Twitter session wasn't all business. He congratulated one user on the birth of a new son.

"Nothing beats babies!" he wrote.

He also chimed in on a New York Times Twitter post that went viral during #AskPOTUS. The New York Times Twitter account encouraged its readers to try green peas in their guacamole.

A lot of Twitter users -- including Obama -- were aghast at the suggestion.

"Respect the NYT, but not buying peas in quac," Obama wrote. "Onions, garlic, hot peppers. Classic."