And In the “Shoulda Seen This Coming” Department . . . .
Remember that little thing called “Medicaid expansion” that was an optional part of ObamaCare? You know, the one where states could optionally expand Medicare eligibility and the Federal government would pick up the tab – for a while?
Well, guess what. Pretty soon (2017) part of the bill starts getting transferred to the states. (Even so, the Federal government still will pick up 90% or more of the cost for the expansion.) And guess what that means?
If you guessed “big bills for the states who signed up” – give yourself a pat on the back.
Moreover, those bills are significantly larger than originally projected. Because you see – enrollment under those “expanded eligibility” guidelines has been much higher than projected. Many states are seeing an overage of over 100% of projections.
Gee – people finding out that they can get “free sh!t” and taking advantage. Why would anyone ever think that might possibly happen in greater numbers than expected? Sheesh.
Predictably, several states are now re-looking their ObamaCare Medicare expansions. I can’t say that I blame them; in the case of one state – Florida – the projected additional cost to the state is about $5 billion over the first 10 years. Guess who’s going to pay for that if they stick with it?
You see, when it comes to goods and services – like medical care – there isn’t really any such thing as “free”. Someone, somewhere pays for it.
And if it’s a government giveaway like ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion . . . that means we pay for it in the form of higher taxes and interest rates. Well, at least those of us who ever pay taxes or borrow money do.
Fox today has an article that gives more details. It’s worth a read.
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Health Care debate
Hondo … it is OK, because it is a TAX!
Oh, and lets not forget what Nancy Poledanceski had to say about it:
Isn’t this the same crap they are saying about this new trade bill ?????
If you pass it then you’ll see what’s in it ????
She’s still among the dumbest fuckers I’ve ever shaken my head about. California…never fails to disappoint me. As do most inner city voters in other states.
Whenever Pelosi opens her yap, regardless of the subject, I am reminded of a line from the movie Dumb and Dumber and it goes something like this ” Just when I think you couldn’t possibly get any dumber, you go and do someting like this…. And totally redeem yourself!”
Too bad the give away doesn’t benefit local hospitals…small regional hospitals are being financially crippled as Medicaid reimbursement is dropping to $0.70-$0.80 cents on the dollar.
43 Small hospitals have closed since 2010 and 283 are close to being dead. Here in western massachusetts we are seeing small hospitals bought by the larger Baystate Health Systems, but I’m not certain that’s a win because Baystate is now losing money to the tune of $22 million in budget shortfalls.
It’s been argued by more than a few Doctors that the ACA was in fact designed to destroy small local hospitals.
Doing so will create the reality where the government can say, “Small local hospitals are failing in the free market so we need to step in and provide this care as a government service.”
Before calling me a tin foil hat nut, understand that reimbursements for surgeries on the spine that private insurers cover at about $4500 per procedure are now covered at $1200 by Medicaid. The end result is those hospitals mandated by law to provide care to one and all regardless of ability to pay are finding if their ratio of Medicaid/Medicare to Private insurance ratio is too high they can’t recover their costs and they lose money. They then either combine with a larger system as we’ve seen here in Western Mass or they shutter their doors as we’ve seen elsewhere in the nation.
This will get worse before it gets better, if it can get better at this point.
You average person on the street WANTS SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. They think it means that medical care will be free. Then, when you try to have the conversation about who pays for ‘free’ medical care, they start wailing about the current costs of medical care…and ’round and ’round you go.
Like they say in the fly-over states, ‘You can’t get there from here.’
some of those average people don’t pay taxes, or don’t pay much in taxes…the government can only bleed the rest of us so far before that concept falls completely apart as well.
VOV: When this crap was rolled out I started wearing a tin foil hat to bed.
I predicted then that The VA Medical system would be touted as a glowing example and folded into Obama Care as THE proper way for us puny mortals to get superior government run health care.
I suspect that the revelations about the Va Health Systems subsequent have only delayed that development.
Hmmm… Am I paranoid if it actually happens?
Nope, if it actually happens you were just an alert realist preparing for an appropriate outcome!!!
Everybody wants to have equal benefits, not many fight for equal responsibilities.
Your comment made me think of a great Victor Frankl quote:
“…the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast should be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast…Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness.”
For those who don’t know, Frankl survived Auschwitz and wrote a book about his experiences called, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. Highly recommended. He actually found something positive in that horror.
How can this picture be? Pelosi looks like Dorothy in the face, but the Scarecrow in the hands! For some odd reason this reminds me of an old joke. Guy walks into a bar, sees a sign over the bar which reads, “Cheese sandwich $1.00…..handjob $10.00.” So he asks the woman tending the bar, “Are you the one giving the hand jobs?” She says, “Yes”, to which he replies, “Wash your hand bi***, I want a cheese sandwich!”
Everyone knows it’s in a state’s best interest to have a bunch of sick citizens who can’t get healthcare.