Posted on 04/29/2015 11:15:21 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Americans’ tax burden is already $3 billion heavier because of Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare.
By putting more able-bodied, working-age childless adults on Medicaid than Kasich projected, Obamacare expansion is reducing incentives to work and threatening traditional Medicaid recipients’ access to care faster and at greater cost than anticipated.
After Kasich expanded Medicaid unilaterally, a state panel approved $2.56 billion in Obamacare spending for the expansion’s first 18 months. The money was meant to last until July, but it ran out in February.
Kasich’s Obamacare expansion cost $323 million in March — 84 percent greater than estimates revised just six months earlier.
Using monthly figures released by the Ohio Department of Medicaid, the Republican governor’s Obamacare expansion cost slightly more than $3 billion from January 2014 through March 2015.
Kasich’s Obamacare expansion is on track to cost more than $4 billion by the end of June.
With federal taxpayers on the hook for all benefit costs and Ohio facing a growing state share in 2017, Obamacare expansion may soon consume 10 percent of Ohio’s budget.
“Comparing budgets to actual and holding those responsible accountable is how private enterprise would work and, in my opinion, also how government should work,” State Rep. Paul Zeltwanger said in an email to Ohio Watchdog.
Expressing concern over Obamacare expansion’s promised federal funding, Zeltwanger said the federal government “already has way too much debt and cannot support all of these additional costs from Obamacare let alone $1.3 billion overruns from one state.”
“I want Ohio to be part of the solution” instead of adding to the $18 trillion national debt, Zeltwanger said. “As elected officials, we need to show fiscal discipline and restraint. We owe this to our children.”
Zeltwanger suggested Medicaid reforms should be put in place before the state even considers expanding the program. In a separate email to Ohio Watchdog, State Rep. Nino Vitale agreed.
“Although we want to help people, there does come a time when there is no more money, and we either have to use debt or cannibalize other programs such as education, to offset these programs,” Vitale said.
“Or, we simply have a limit on what we can do,” Vitale continued. “We all do this in our personal family budgets, or in business, why not in government?”
Vitale and Zeltwanger, both Republicans, were elected to their first two-year terms in the Ohio House last fall. Since 2013, conservative and free-market groups have warned lawmakers not to rely on the Kasich administration’s cost and enrollment projections.
“AFP Ohio has said all along that Medicaid expansion would come at a great cost to state and federal taxpayers,” Americans for Prosperity Ohio deputy state director Baylor Myers wrote in an email to Ohio Watchdog.
“These funding levels, which unsurprisingly exceed initial expectations, are unsustainable,” Myers added.
Budget-busting Obamacare expansion costs are resulting from a combination of exploding enrollment and higher-than-expected benefit costs per enrollee.
Since taking effect January 2014, Kasich’s Obamacare expansion has enrolled 527,821 people — 44 percent more than the Kasich administration estimated would sign up by July 2015.
As of February, only 42 percent of the Ohioans enrolled in Kasich’s Obamacare expansion were employed.
Despite the welfare expansion’s costs, the Republican supermajority in the Ohio House didn’t strip Obamacare expansion funding from the governor’s proposed 2016-17 budget.
Several House Republicans criticized Kasich’s Obamacare expansion before voting in favor of the budget last week. Zeltwanger, Vitale and three other Republicans voted against the budget because of higher spending driven by Obamacare.
The Kasich administration has not responded to Ohio Watchdog requests for comment as Obamacare expansion’s costs and enrollment have left projections in the dust over the past several months.
This does not make me want him more as the GOP nominee. I think he has been out of the spotlight for too long, and most don’t remember Kasich from CNN or do and it doesn’t matter. Kasich suffers from the same thing that blocks Bobby Jindahl from making much electoral progress, that being a wonky and somewhat colorless on the job personality.
“...Kasich suffers from the same thing that blocks Bobby Jindahl from making much electoral progress, that being a wonky and somewhat colorless on the job personality.”
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He suffers from much more than a bland personality...he can, at a moment’s notice, shed his conservative beliefs like a snake sheds his skin!
The level of welfare and national debt are bigger threats to the future of this country than any outside enemies.
Bobby Jindal & Kasich are at opposite ends of conservative spectrum. Also, Kasich was never a Rhodes Scholar like Jindal was. Therefore I would not accuse Kasich of being wonkish. However Kasich is a good republican, much preferred over any democRat.
Wait until the Feds start phasing out their commitment.
I think Kasich has a great down to earth, entertaining personality. The medicaid expansion however, was really dumb.
The Ohio legislature has moved to force every man, woman, and child on Medicaid in Ohio to maintain healthcare spending accounts which should help offset the costs of their healthcare. We all agree here in the medical field that as long as they don’t have to spend a dime on their healthcare, there will be no way to control their accumulating costs.
I don’t know. Not seeing what they would gain, but any nuke landing an American soil from Iran could be the end of the country.
But welfare and national debt are a close second, imho.
I don’t think we have the resources to spread to two more candidates anyway. The quicker we get around Ted the better. I did my job tonight. Told all the menfolk in the family about Rubio’s 35% tax for anybody making 75k or more. In NY that is a joke. Crushed him in their eyes and keep touting Cruz.
But the editorials keep telling me what a smashing success Obamacare is.
“and at greater cost than anticipated.”
Gee, they mean a government program cost way more than they originally thought it would? Who knew???
Idiots.
He is not!! The OH legislature voted down Medicaid expansion. Kasich had to go through a lot of sleazy maneuvers to provide that big payout to his corporate buddies who profit from it. His balanced budget? It starves small cities and towns while it lines the pockets of construction buddies for unnecessary and sometimes damaging projects. Did you know he gave EXTRA money to the Cleveland school system, while other systems struggle to maintain their excellence?
Watch out for Kasich. He's an excellent campaigner. He'll campaign for the little folk, but he seems to be all bought and paid for by the big-money crowd.
Now wait a damn minute: these people are now free to pursue art and music without the mundane hindrances of JOBS and stuff like that....NaziPelousy said so.
Kasich is just helping the next Rembrant along....
/s
unless obamacare is REPEALED, it will wreck the USSA economy.... as PLANNED from the very beginning...
Watch out for Kasich. He's an excellent campaigner. He'll campaign for the little folk, but he seems to be all bought and paid for by the big-money crowd.
Reminds me of another Ohioan....Boehner :(
another phony conservative
Kasich thinks its his God given duty to help other people with the citizens tax dollars. He is hopeless...
Ant republican that claims to be conservative and votes positive on anything regarding the bamsters policies IS NOT CONSERVATIVE.
Do you vote in OHIO?? If not, you are wasting your time on this thread.
And YES I support Gov. Kasich and have seen him close up!
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