With the recent decision of Florida’s governor to capitulate on ObamaCare and undermine his state’s economic future, Texas’ resolve to stand strong against Medicaid expansion is even more important. Neither the Lone Star State, nor any state, can afford it.
Speaking last week in Washington, Texas Gov. Rick Perry doubled down on refusing to follow President Obama’s health care prescription. He was right to do so.
Medicaid is on the fast-track to bankrupting every state in the union. According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, in the 2014-2015 state budget Medicaid is projected to be “30 percent of the budget, up from 14 percent in 2001.”
Florida Republican Rick Scott caved to the prospect of free money, even while knowing the dollars will dry up soon and leave Floridians on the hook for billions in higher taxes and reduced health care options. But what does Mr. Scott care? He’s getting a little love from the liberal press, and he won’t be in office when the bills come due.
Medicaid is the backdoor for imposing ObamaCare, and eventually socialized single-payer health care. The federal government wants states to expand the populations eligible to get on a program never intended to be a way of life.
Even without expanding Medicaid, the entitlement program is going to become a lot more costly for Texas. Under new Obama administration rules affecting the current program, states can no longer look at assets to determine someone’s eligibility to be on the program! In other words, the state has to accept anyone who signs up without question.
Only one thing is guaranteed to expand faster than the Medicaid budget: Medicaid fraud.
Even worse, Medicaid expansion will come at great cost but without any benefit to Texans. Not only are fewer and fewer doctors refusing to take new Medicaid patients, but it is Medicaid patients who are clogging up the hospital emergency rooms—a trend that will get worse, not better.
Expanding Medicaid won’t reduce the “uninsured” population in any significant way, and certainly won’t make Texans any healthier.
Only a vibrant health care marketplace, free from government interference, can accomplish that. And while we don’t see much federal allowance for that any time soon, Texans should demand that the state not allow any new harm in the meantime.
Simply: for a healthy Texas, Medicaid expansion must be opposed.
