Republicans are taking no chances when it comes to Obamacare's Medicaid expansion. They're closing every possible door. Under bills passed in Georgia and Kansas recently, even if a Democratic candidate were to pull off an upset and take the governor's seat, they would not be able to expand the program without the consent of the state legislature -- which will almost certainly remain Republican.
In other words, GOP lawmakers have taken steps to guarantee that many of their poorest residents will remain uninsured under the health care reform law, no matter what happens in the gubernatorial election.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) both oppose Medicaid expansion. They both look likely -- if not quite certain -- to win re-election in November. That should make the bills passed by their respective state lawmakers unnecessary, but they seem intent on guarding against even the remote possibility of a Democratic governor.
An explanation offered by a GOP lawmaker in Kansas, where the bill was signed into law by Brownback last week, points to the motive.
“Governor Brownback’s not always going to be the governor. It’s my fervent hope he’s going to be the governor for four more years after this one, but he may or may not be,” Rep. John Rubin (R) told the Wichita Eagle.
Remember the Medicaid expansion for the first three years will cost these states nothing, and after that no more than 10% of the costs.
This is what the CBO had to say about its overall impact on the states that embrace the expansion:
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Medicaid expansion will add very little to what states would have spent on Medicaid without health reform, while providing health coverage to 17 million more low-income adults and children. In addition, the Medicaid expansion will reduce state and local government costs for uncompensated care and other services they provide to the uninsured, which will offset at least some — and in a number of states, possibly all or more than all — of the modest increase in state Medicaid costs. Expanding Medicaid is thus a very favorable financial deal for states.
However not allowing the Medicaid expansion could unnecessarily cost the lives of thousands, and eventually millions who could be covered if these assholes were not so petty and vindictive.
There is literally no hope for the poor in these deeply red states unless they were to rally together and drive the Republican party out with torches and pitchforks.
How long is it going to take for people to figure out what the Republicans are doing? They are trying to dumb down education so people won't be able to think, reason or figure out what they are doing. They want to keep poorer people sick because, you know, they always vote for Democrats anyway. If they are too sick, they won't go to the polls to vote. The restrictive voting procedures in red states will prevent them from early voting or absentee voting. Maybe they will die sooner. There are a number of Republicans who haven't figured out that their free medical care, thanks to Social Security and Medicare are coming from the Federal government, the people they have been taught to hate. Poorly educated, poorly fed, they will continue to vote against their own best interests.
ReplyDelete"The People" need to lobby and pass laws DEMANDING that the Gov of their state for example Brownback, Deal and SP v 2.0, that the GOV not enjoy FREE healthcare at taxpayer expense.
DeleteIf their people can't have it... Neither can they! PERIOD.
Watch how fast that shit will change take away their
"free" Healthcare....
John McCain Tells Seth Meyers the Real Reason He Picked Sarah Palin
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediaite.com/tv/john-mccain-tells-seth-meyers-the-real-reason-he-picked-sarah-palin/
Wow, there are at least two Palinbots commenting there who are completely delusional and apparently believe every lie that has come out of the Palin camp.
DeleteIt's pretty pathetic that, even after all this time and so much proof that she was an unqualified, uneducated, unintelligent, downright dangerous threat to this country, they still parrot the lies they've been fed for the past 5 years.
Should make Sarah feel real...... i n t e l l i g e n t and q u a l i f i e d. Mc Cain picked Sarah to help Tina Fey's career? Newsflash.... Fey isn't a regular on SNL anymore, she writes her own stuff, has her own accomplishments and is a real actress. Sarah tossed the white crayon in the trash because it didn't work.
DeleteAnd the FLOODGATES open!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/republicans-mccutcheon_n_5191747.html
O/T
ReplyDeleteThe NRA Quietly Backs Down On Domestic Violence
...But over the past year, the NRA has quietly scaled back its scorched-earth campaigns against stricter domestic violence laws. The group has consulted with legislators in states across the country on bills similar to HB 1840. With the tacit approval of the NRA, Louisiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota have all passed or advanced bills banning the possession of firearms by those convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse, those served protective orders, or those deemed by the court to pose a physical threat to their families.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/nra-domestic-violence_n_5191555.html
Gryphen, have you seen this?
ReplyDeletehttp://digitalshadow.com/
Facebook Knows Everything About You, And If You Don't Believe Us Here's Proof
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/watch-dogs-facebook-privacy-settings_n_5191237.html
I gotta say this is super creepy and makes me so glad that I never got caught up in the Facebook craze, so there isn't any of this information available about me or my family on the net. I always had a gut feeling about this issue and now I see it play out.
My heart goes out to the people who have to live under this GOP regime that is so mean and vindictive without a care for their citizens. It's wrong and cruel and unforgivable, and yet these poor people STILL vote them in. It's like Stockholm Syndrome or something and they will pay with their LIVES, for god's sake, and merrily go to the voting booths to perpetuate this travesty. I'm so grateful that I live in a state that not only recognizes Medicare and Obamacare, but has taken HUGE steps to make sure everyone is covered.
ReplyDeleteMean, vindictive and cruel...exactly the words I was thinking of.
DeleteWhat they're doing is way beyond blocking any achievements for President Obama because these laws will continue to deliberately hurt poor people long after he is out of office.
I just don't understand why the GOP feels this insatiable need to cause pain to poor people, even those who vote Republican.
I just don't understand why the GOP feels this insatiable need to cause pain to poor people, even those who vote Republican.
Delete******
They are PAID to do it.
Paid by KKKOCH via ALEC.
They want us all 1% with nothing and completely dependent on them. BA$TARDS!
The states that don.t expand Medicaid are also risking the closure of some of their smaller hospitals also.
ReplyDeleteUnder the ACA hospitals took a cut in the money they receive from the federal government for treating people that can't pay, because the expansion of Medicaid would be covering most of those people and the hospitals would be receiving even more money than the government had been giving them.
So smaller hospitals that aren't in good financial shape will be getting a lot less money making their having to close that much more of a possibility.
That's why the hospitals in those states are having a shit fit because their state won't expand Medicaid
Throw the bastards out!
ReplyDeleteTake it out of the states hands. Make Medicaid expansion a federal law, go around them. I live in one of these states Tennessee that won't expand. We personally,are seeing how little healthcare someone who doesn't have money, can't work, and can't qualify for Medicaid can get. . There is none .
ReplyDeletePeople in red states need to vote as if their life depends on it, because it DOES. I'm in Pennsylvania and working my butt off getting our assclown out of office. Corbett refused to expand medicare, yet wanted to sell the state's lottery to a private company. That didn't pass, that's why he flies under the radar.
ReplyDelete