Michael Quinn Sullivan, president and CEO of Empower Texans, has recently blogged about how the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion was turned away by Texas legislators. Mr. Sullivan is an experienced blogger, former newspaper reporter, and one-time Capital Hill staffer.
Medicaid is a government designed program intended to provide medical insurance coverage for individuals who can't otherwise afford medical insurance (families with low income and limited resources) and is backed by the Obama administration. Texas, a heavy republican and conservative oriented state, showed its true colors by refusing to expand the program's roles and its associated costs moving forward.
The Obama administration designed this initiative so that the federal government would cover the costs of the Medicaid program expansion up until 2016, and then afterwards the financial responsibility would be left to the state governments. On top of this, once locked into the expansion program, states will have no ability to modify the program's guidelines even though the federal government plans to assume no costs.
Although many Texas democrats and liberals are voicing their concern and disagreement among this decision made by our legislators, due to their Pro-Medicaid and Medicare support, there is evidence conveying that the conservatives have made the right call about this program.
First, allegations have been made that growing Medicaid programs around the country have been plagued with fraud and corruption from the very beginning. Second, more than a dozen states that have adopted this expansion of Medicaid have encountered severe fiscal strain (ironically thinking they were receiving free money from the Obama administration). Third, and arguably the worst outcome, is the research that has been conducted which shows Medicaid patients receiving worse health outcomes when compared to those not utilizing the program. An Oregon study found no difference in health outcomes between Medicaid and non-insured patients.
Why do liberals continue to support this program even with these staggering results? Why is a program designed to help the non-insured actually causing them to receive worse health outcomes? How is a program that is designed to help states' fiscal situation and provide free money actually costing them a fortune? Why is all this hype about medicaid even still present?
These are all questions that I would love to hear answered. I am fully on board with the conservatives who helped stop this corrupt health insurance program scam from affecting our state.
Michael Quinn Sullivan, Saying 'No' to ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion Was Good for Texans, http://www.empowertexans.com/features/saying-no-to-obamacare-medicaid-expansion-was-good-for-texans/, July 19, 2015
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