TEXAS GOVERNOR SAYS NO THANKS TO THE PRESIDENTS MEDICARE PLAN, DO YOU AGREE? Texas’ Perry rejects Medicaid expansion.
BIG BAD JOHN R.
2012/07/10 13:45:57
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Gov. Rick Perry’s declaration Monday that Texas should decline to expand Medicaid and leave creation of a health insurance exchange to the federal government could create burdens for the uninsured, local taxpayers and federal officials seeking to implement the federal health law.
The provision that Perry wants the state to reject would add to the state’s Medicaid rolls more than 1.5 million poor, childless adults who are currently ineligible, plus as many as 300,000 pregnant women, children and extremely poor parents who already qualify but aren’t enrolled.
The coverage would begin in 2014. In the first five years, the state’s costs for the expansion would be $5.8 billion, and Texas would receive $76.3 billion in federal matching funds. Despite that prospective gain, Perry said it would be unwise to enlarge “a broken system that is already financially unsustainable.”
The Republican governor also told Sebelius he opposes a state health insurance exchange, which he said would open the door to federal control of Texas’ insurance markets. Some other conservatives have argued Texas should take steps to set up the exchange on its own, in case the federal law survives. If it does, the federal government will establish the exchange.
Federal officials declined to respond directly to Perry, saying that under the law, the exchanges and other benefits will help expand coverage and pledging to work with states to provide flexibility.
Perry’s move was the latest political twist after the Supreme Court upheld most of the 2010 health care overhaul. While most of the legal battles have been over the law’s requirement that individuals obtain insurance, the bulk of the expansion of health insurance coverage is designed to happen at the state level, and GOP governors such as Rick Scott of Florida and Nikki Haley ofSouth Carolina have rebelled.
Top Opinion
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Cindy64~AFCL 2012/07/10 13:58:09Yes, Governor Perry is right.
This won't be necessary, tho. The Texas hospital system desperately wants the expanded Medicaid funding. Republicans have no problem turning down what the people want, but they will NEVER turn down what big business wants. And the hospital system in Texas is VERY BIG BUSINESS.
"1.5 million poor, childless adults who are currently ineligible, plus as many as 300,000 pregnant women, children and extremely poor parents who already qualify but aren’t enrolled."
Parkland Memorial Hospital (yes, that one) is the anchor-baby capitol of the U.S. and it would be really interesting to see how many of these supposed. 1.5 million people are legal U.S. residents.
I understand that the anchor is considered legal under a bastardized reading of the 14th amendment but the person dropping that anchor, the baby-Daddy and siblings certainly are not.
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Texas has added 240,000 private sector jobs, which make up one third of the jobs created nationwide. But does that really reflect successful growth? One local economist says it depends on how you look at it. John Robertson explains, "How good is the economy of Texas? It's not very good, certainly if you compare it to how we have been doing over the past ten year span. Our unemployment is as high as it's ever been. On the other hand, if you compare us with the rest of the country, our economy is certainly better than most other states."
Robertson says the population boom in Texas is also responsible for creating jobs, which he points out are mostly minimum wage jobs. Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken says, "On average, we are a little below the national figures in terms of the wage levels, at the same time our cost of living in Texas is quite a bit lower." Even with the thousands of new jobs in the state, unemployment remains relatively high, but not in comparison nationwide. Pauken says, "Our current unemployment rate is 8.4%..