Texas considers Medicaid/SCHIP withdrawal

[Lief 🗽]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/politics/07ttmedicaid.html?_r=1

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This is the terrifying new reality we live in. Even the most basic remaining social services will be destroyed by the coming regime, all to protect the tax dollars of the wealthiest.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Now that it's being considered as a serious possibility, expect to see a bunch of other states with newly elected Republican state legislatures start considering it if they think they can get away with it.

Clearly this is the best idea that a state already stuck with some of the worst poverty and health insurance coverage rates in the entire nation can come up with to solve their problems.

[Mint]

To be fair it is enormously expensive, we need a more comprehensive national system with grants instead of something that charges states extra for the 'privilege' of what frankly isn't great coverage. Too bad the way things are now the only public option we're going to get is probably when the employer system completely crumbles and the biggest HMOs come begging for a 'government takeover...'

[memphis]

If they want to turn down billions of federal dollars, we'll take them in TN.

[opebo]

Genocide.

[Landslide Lyndon]

These guys have an obsession with secession.

[King]

Let them, Lief, let them.

It's only when the American swing voters who "lean conservative" see what conservatism actually means will we see change.  Most of them just think eliminating earmarks and tort reform will somehow result in a trillion dollar surplus.

Let them step out of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, federal highway funds, etc., etc. in these  states and we'll see how much the voters love their small government.

[Verily]

Let them, Lief, let them.

It's only when the American swing voters who "lean conservative" see what conservatism actually means will we see change.  Most of them just think eliminating earmarks and tort reform will somehow result in a trillion dollar surplus.

Let them step out of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, federal highway funds, etc., etc. in these  states and we'll see how much the voters love their small government.

They also only think tort reform is awesome until their nephew gets cancer from chromium dumping and, whoops, damages capped at $25k. Have fun with those medical costs!

[anvi]

Figures. 

We'll see what happens when they rip insurance coverage right out of people's hands. 

[Ban my account ffs!]

Texas is already a sh**t state with these federal programs.  They're gonna have like a 40% uninsured rate before long.  We'll see how that drives the Don't Mess With Texas™ economy.

I guess it could only work in Texas.  If the GOP pushed this here, they would spend a century in the minority.  (As it is, they already spent 40 years in it).

[exopolitician]

Sigh.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Either this dies a quick death or gets struck down by the courts. Nothing much to see here, though of course Democrats would love to see this torpedo the Republican Party's image (& in the latter scenario, it probably would).

[RichmondFalls]

It's too bad they can't make these programs "voluntary"- i.e., all Texans who wish to opt out can do so on their own initiative. Strike a blow against Big Government on their own terms. Similarly, I'd like all unemployed "conservatives" to refuse their monthly checks.

[memphis]

Texas is already a sh**t state with these federal programs.  They're gonna have like a 40% uninsured rate before long.  We'll see how that drives the Don't Mess With Texas™ economy.

I guess it could only work in Texas.  If the GOP pushed this here, they would spend a century in the minority.  (As it is, they already spent 40 years in it).

It works for TX because so many of the uninsured can't vote because they're not citizens. At least the poor in MN have some control over their government.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

    Either this dies a quick death or gets struck down by the courts. Nothing much to see here, though of course Democrats would love to see this torpedo the Republican Party's image (& in the latter scenario, it probably would).

While I agree that there would be political hell to pay if they actually did this, I see zero chance that this would get struck down by the courts.  The Federal government can't force the States to participate in such programs, just offer a tasty carrot to bribe them to do so.  It's up to Texas to decide if they want to forgo the carrot.

[Free Palestine]

Good for them.

This is the terrifying new reality we live in. Even the most basic remaining social services will be destroyed by the coming regime, all to protect the tax dollars of the wealthiest.

Genocide.

LOL

[Lief 🗽]

hahaha poor people dying lol

[Lief 🗽]

Sure, once you "libertarians" stop frothing at the mouth over policies that would kill tens of thousands of people.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Sure, once you "libertarians" stop frothing at the mouth over policies that would kill tens of thousands of people.

Clearly those people deserve to die, since they can't carry their own weight in society.

[tpfkaw]

What a horrible place the US was before the mid-60s-to-early-80s.  What with tens of thousands of people dying.

[Frink]

Texas is already a sh**t state with these federal programs.  They're gonna have like a 40% uninsured rate before long.  We'll see how that drives the Don't Mess With Texas™ economy.

I guess it could only work in Texas.  If the GOP pushed this here, they would spend a century in the minority.  (As it is, they already spent 40 years in it).

It works for TX because so many of the uninsured can't vote because they're not citizens. At least the poor in MN have some control over their government.

SCHIP mostly benefits the middle class.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

What a horrible place the US was before the mid-60s-to-early-80s.  What with tens of thousands of people dying.

I agree.

[tpfkaw]

I see a flattening trendline after 1965.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

I see a flattening trendline after 1965.

That wasn't the point I was trying to prove. The graph was taken from a blog quoting Adam Smith and was quite clearly one of your type of blogs.

I mean christ man, why would I use a graph of general life expectancy to prove that Medicaid/SCHIP are positive things? It's almost retarded of you to think that.

[memphis]

What a horrible place the US was before the mid-60s-to-early-80s.  What with tens of thousands of people dying.

Countless people are still dying for lack of access to healthcare. Not everybody is fortunate enought to qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.