Thursday, February 14, 2013

Principles vs Politics in regards to Medicaid Expansion

I read in today's USA Today, only paper at the hotel, that Governors in Wisconsin and Indiana have passed on expanding Medicaid in their State. A rare display of standing on Principle. How are we to end the welfare state and entitlement problem if we continue to expand these programs that reduce and eliminate the need and incentive to work?

The easy math is free money from the Federal Government can't be passed up.

The correct math is there is no such thing as free money. A few thousand dollars in Federal crack to cover someone's Medicaid expenses doesn't begin to cover the cost of someone spending a lifetime working part time or entry level jobs and living off the taxpayor. Compounding the problem is the fact that it doesn't stop when that worker retires: kids raised under that lack of a work ethic are more likely to grow up and also live off the tax payor. Medicaid expansion is just one more step to creating a permanent welfare class. Everyone works 29 hours a week and gets by on Food Stamps, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing.  And then they and the media decry the income gap between these part timers and people working 70 hours a week to support them.

Also of interest is Indiana's request for an exemption; they had a very effective HSA Medicaid model that was being cancelled for not being ideologically consistent with ObamaCare. We'll see what HHS deems more important: a successful and proven program to deliver better benefits at a lower cost, or expansion of the Government Welfare model.

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