Posted on 01/16/2010 11:27:42 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o
It's no wonder that the sweetheart deal Senator Ben Nelson got for his home state of Nebraska as part of the Senate health reform bill has caused such consternation among his colleagues.[snip]
...as negotiations continue between House and Senate leaders over final legislative language, the idea of lessening the Medicaid burden for states is gaining traction. [snip]
Helping states by extending the Nebraska deal nationwide or by upping federal contributions to future Medicaid costs would certainly relieve some unwelcome pressure. Along with Schwarzenegger, who had previously been a reliable Republican proponent of Democratic health care reform, many other governors — including New York's David Paterson, a Democrat — have publicly protested the legislation on the basis of the Medicaid expansion, saying it amounts to an unfunded mandate. In addition, at least 13 state attorneys general have said Nelson's special deal is unconstitutional.
But extending the Cornhusker Kickback to all 50 states would be a lot more than a quick, short-term fix to a political problem. By further nationalizing Medicaid, a public insurance program that's now jointly funded by states and the Federal Government, Democratic reform could move the health insurance system even further under the umbrella of the Federal Government, which was the main criticism of the much maligned "public option."
While the public option in its last iterations would have covered just several million people nationwide, Medicaid — under the expansion called for in health reform — could enroll some 35% of the population in certain states.
Although the proposal to widely expand the Medicaid program has not garnered nearly as much attention as the public option or sweeping new insurance regulations, it's critical to the Democrats' reform strategy....
More at link
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
SOMEBODY has to pay for this mess.
Anything that ties this mess up in courts for more time is good.
And then what's next....We're going to have to fix SS and Medicare...and they'll raise the rate
Then there'll be new "Fed Energy taxes" on your utility bills
Then an internet tax...The tax will be to the providers who will pass it on..Some people will forego the web...jobs will be lost...and if we're lucky, the govt will own the web...just like we own GM....
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
I don’t get how shifting the Medicaid costs from state to federal is supposed to relieve the burden on the states.
How in the world does it save money or relieve any burdens to shift costs from local to state to federal? Don’t those moneys all come out of the same pool? As a taxpayer, does it really matter whether I pay a dollar to the county, state, or federal government for $0.10 worth of services?
Then the AGs should include Florida’s Medicare Advantage deal in the suit.
This is like saying you can make your blanket longer by cutting 12 inches off the top and sewing it on the bottom.
Or like saying the poor Irish washerwomen could have unlimited business expansion by taking in each others' laundry.
Or like saying you can give yourself a transfusion by drawing blood from your left arm and running it into your right.
But Kate Pickert has let the cat out of the bag. "Expanding" the Cornhusker Kinckback is just a way to make Medicaid into a single-payer Federal system. Which is exactly what about hundred million of us have said we don't want.
They must think we're out of our minds.
No, that should be a SEPARATE suit, filed either earlier or later. Tie this mess up with as many different court cases as possible to delay implementation.
My mistake. Your plan is much more better.
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