Posted on 08/24/2015 4:34:39 PM PDT by Zakeet
Yes, you read the headline correctly. Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program includes $50 Wal-Mart gift cards for Medicaid enrollees that “follow the doctor’s orders.”
It seems that although, “the state doesn’t itself purchase or give out any Wal-Mart gift cards, their cost is baked into the Medicaid managed care contracts.” In essence, the taxpayers of Michigan are paying for $50 Wal-Mart gift cards for people on Medicaid whether they know it or not.
And getting one of these gift cards is pretty easy.
(Excerpt) Read more at uncoverobamacare.com ...
ro be spent on beer and cigarettes... right?
Gee, will medicaid recipients go to the doctor just to get their $50 gift card? Raising medicaid costs even more.
Nah!
No, not cigarettes or booze. On prescription medicine. Walmart must charge the taxpayers high prices for Medicaid to offset the thin margin crap from China.
Of course, the gift cards aren’t used for medicine. They are the slight of hand distraction while Medicaid has its hand in your pocket.
Good luck finding doctors who accept Medicaid.
Kickback scheme.
Walmart donates big bux to PACs. Politicians arrange for most, or all of the “donation” to be paid back to Walmart, by socking it to the taxpayer.
Same scheme for Planned Parenthood, numerous other corporations.
Fascism by definition is big business merged with government.
It’s here in Arizona as well. My gynecologist told me that if a pregnant woman on AHCSS (our Medicaid) shows up on time for her appointment, he has to give her a $50 walmart gift card.
My daughter who was in between jobs needed Medicaid for about a year. She went to the doctor for a checkup and got the 50.00 wal mart card. We were both shocked. I sent a snail mail letter with a copy of the Walmart gift card letter to the Governor Snyder, and both my state senator and state rep. I specifically asked for a written reply as to why this was a policy. That was about a year ago. No reply from anyone.
Politician are an arrogant and condescending lot. Thy don’t give a crap what a voter says.
When the expansion occured, I received an e-mail from the Lt Gov that was bragging about it. The note and my reply is below:
*************************
From: Lt. Governor Brian Calley [mailto:ltgovbriancalley@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:21 PM
To:
Subject: thank you
Dear Friends,
There are times when any family has disagreements. I have always been a principled conservative voice inside the administration, but when the Governor makes a decision I will support and help implement that decision.
Unfortunately, Obamacare is currently the law of the land and states have to decide how to make the best of it for working families and taxpayers. Conservative Governors such as Jan Brewer in Arizona, John Kasich in Ohio, and Rick Scott in Florida are all taking a similar approach to what we have here in Michigan - only our state added key personal responsibility reforms.
Although I understand the arguments that some people are making on the other side of this issue, the fact remains that there is a strong conservative argument for Medicaid Reform. By passing the Healthy Michigan plan, we will save hundreds of thousands of our friends and neighbors from being forced into the Obamacare exchanges, and it does so at a much smaller cost to the taxpayers.
I am very proud of our record of accomplishment in the last three years. We passed conservative budgets in record time, reduced debt, reformed the tax code, and have made the tough decisions to clean up the city of Detroit. Most importantly, we took on the liberal labor unions and won a major victory for hardworking taxpayers. Michigan is now a Right to Work state. Who would have thought that was possible just a few short years ago?
So although we as a family will have disagreements from time to time, I encourage people to remember that blood is thicker than water and we stand together fighting for our principles – lower spending, less taxes, less government regulation and interference, and a free market economy that can create jobs. Ultimately, we all need to decide whether we stick together through thick and thin, or whether we risk turning back to the failed policies of the past.
I am an unabashed, passionate Conservative, a team player, and I support our Republican family. I know you do too.
Much remains to be done, but thank you for all you are doing to help us move our State forward from the failed policies of the previous decade. I look forward to working with you to keep the Michigan Comeback alive.
Sincerely,
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley
And my reply:
Please remove me from your distribution list. I don’t need to hear from quisling GOPe members that have no sense of history. Your argument is the same that was made nearly 50 years ago and look where that got us. Instead of realizing history, you prefer to “build upon” the collectivism that will enslave my grandchildren.
I will fight, you can concede. Just stay out of our way.
When Medicare launched, nobody had any clue whether it would work
-snip-
Medicare is, these days, an incredibly popular program. Americans overwhelmingly oppose cutting it. No politician would consider repealing it. Most think providing health insurance to all Americans over 65 is worth the both the trouble and the cost.
This was not always true. Back in 1966, as Medicare was just about to launch, nobody knew whether the new program would provide benefits to millions or fail completely. Sound familiar?
-snip-
Like the Affordable Care Act, the fight over Medicare was contentious. President John F. Kennedy had tried to extend health benefits to the elderly and failed.
The American Medical Association vehemently opposed the law. Two months before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law, the American Medical Association ran ads across the country denouncing the program as “the beginning of socialized medicine.”
-snip-
The federal government launched “Project Medicare Alert,” a program that hired 5,000 workers to enroll seniors in Medicare. The “$2 million crash effort,” as described by The Post, was meant to “inform isolated elderly Americans of the availability of Medicare benefits.” Workers, hired for a 20-week stint, were paid $1.25 per hour.
-end snip-
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