Rick Perry ‘proudly’ refuses health care to 1.2 million low-income Texans

[greenforest32]

In a statement published Monday morning, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) “proudly” declared that he will decline to implement key tenets of the Affordable Care Act — a move that will see his state forgo an estimated $164 billion dollars in federal aid and leave over 1.2 million low-income Texans, who would have finally been eligible for health care, helpless and uninsured.

With his announcement, Perry becomes the sixth governor to refuse implementing a key aspect of the Affordable Care Act: the Medicaid expansion and the state-based health care exchanges. Republican governors in Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Wisconsin have made similar decisions, but Texas is by far the biggest.

Perry would seem to be inviting a political free-for-all thanks to the relative size and power of the Texas hospital industry, which absorbed more than $4.6 billion in unpaid emergency medical costs in 2010. While not seeing it as a cure-all, Texas hospitals largely praised the Affordable Care Act for dramatically expanding health care options for poor people, who are ultimately paid for by others who carry their own insurance. Nearly 25 percent of Texans — 6.5 million people — do not have health insurance, including more than 1.2 million children, and the state’s health care system ranks last in the nation overall.

The state of Texas has the most restrictive Medicaid program in the country, requiring that a family of three make no more than $188 per month to qualify. Under federal rules administered by the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid would be expanded to 133 percent of the poverty level, covering an additional 1.2 million Texans under the program.

Read more at http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/09/perry-proudly-refuses-health-care-to-1-2-million-low-income-texans/

[BaldEagle1991]

It's times like this I wish Bill White was my governor.

[krazen1211]

He's obviously doing his part to close the trillion dollar budget deficit.

[anvi]

A family of three can only make $188 per month or less to qualify for Medicaid in Texas?  Holy crap.

[Zioneer]

The thing that's interesting about all these high-profile conservative governors refusing to implement the ACA is that it's only a certain type of governor doing so. In fact, I can list the governors who have publicly refused the ACA (with a little bit of searching): Perry, Jindal, Scott Walker, Mitch Daniels, Rick Scott, Sam Brownback, Terry Brandstand, Denis Daugaard, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley (so far).

Now what do they all have in common? Well, most of them have shown interest in high office; Perry and Brownback have even ran for the presidency before. All of them are Republican, but the point is that most of those governors have indicated or implied that they'd like bigger and better things than governor.

On the other hand, my state's very conservative governor Gary Herbert has indicated that, while he'd like the ACA to be repealed and he's hoping for an Obama defeat in November, he's not going to defy the Feds and refuse to implement the ACA. You'd think Herbert, being the governor of one of the most conservative states in the Union, would publicly fight against "Obamacare", but he doesn't. So my theory is that unless there's a critical mass of states refusing to implement the ACA, it'll mostly be the ambitious Governors doing it.

[Harry]

What a "Christian"...

[King]

Inb4 republicans then turn around and use the data from these states to prove Obamacare isn't working.

[anvi]

What a "Christian"...

Indeed.  What family values too.  I looked at the two linked stories that produced the last quote in the OP.  It turns out that a family of three that is already covered by welfare has a $188 per month eligibility cap to qualify for Medicaid.  That cap shakes out to 11.8% of the federal poverty level for a family that size.  I can't get past this little factoid today--it just blows my mind.  If you're a very poor family in Texas, you have a choice, food or a doctor, but not both.     

[I left.]

What a "Christian"...

Indeed.  What family values too.  I looked at the two linked stories that produced the last quote in the OP.  It turns out that a family of three that is already covered by welfare has a $188 per month eligibility cap to qualify for Medicaid.  That cap shakes out to 11.8% of the federal poverty level for a family that size.  I can't get past this little factoid today--it just blows my mind.  If you're a very poor family in Texas, you have a choice, food or a doctor, but not both.     

They just need to work harder. Or start their own business.

Regardless, they need to stop looking for government hand-outs and show more personal responsibility.

[anvi]

And that's exactly what they say, Franzl!  The second story I referred to above also notes that, because of its high proportion of agricultural jobs, about 10% fewer people in Texas are covered by employer-provided insurance than nationwide, and a Harris County ER chief quoted in the story says that 70% of the people who come there for care--and are regularly turned away--have jobs.  It's really amazing.

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/June/21/houston-texas-uninsured.aspx#.T-SgKEbgNH4.facebook

[Cory]

They just need to work harder. Or start their own business.

Regardless, they need to stop looking for government hand-outs and show more personal responsibility.

This is what Republican actually believe. Modern Movement Conservatism has destroyed this country.

[opebo]

He's obviously doing his part to close the trillion dollar budget deficit.

You're forgetting that the deficit was caused by tax cuts, krazen.  You would be more accurate to say 'he's doing his part to kill poors in order to maintain privilege' (though to be fair, that is redundant - privilege is always paid for with the death of those beneath you in the hierarchy).

[Dr. Cynic]

Now see, if there was such a thing as karma, he'd get sick and die.

sh**t, I'm sick right now... Wishing I could afford to see a damn doctor so I could get some medicine so I could stop coughing.

[t_host1]

This travesty that some claim to be happening has just been voted by a bunch of media and academia lib's that Texas is the # 1 state. CNBC

[I left.]

This travesty that some claim to be happening has just been voted by a bunch of media and academia lib's that Texas is the # 1 state. CNBC

Number 1 state for who? Depends an awful lot on your perspective.

[t_host1]

This travesty that some claim to be happening has just been voted by a bunch of media and academia lib's that Texas is the # 1 state. CNBC

Number 1 state for who? Depends an awful lot on your perspective.

Wait just a dog gong minute! Since when does the lib haft to qualify their perspective?

[krazen1211]

He's obviously doing his part to close the trillion dollar budget deficit.

You're forgetting that the deficit was caused by tax cuts, krazen.  You would be more accurate to say 'he's doing his part to kill poors in order to maintain privilege' (though to be fair, that is redundant - privilege is always paid for with the death of those beneath you in the hierarchy).

What tax cuts? The only tax cuts in recent history currently in effect were signed by Barack Obama.

[I left.]

This travesty that some claim to be happening has just been voted by a bunch of media and academia lib's that Texas is the # 1 state. CNBC

Number 1 state for who? Depends an awful lot on your perspective.

Wait just a dog gong minute! Since when does the lib haft to qualify their perspective?

Not really sure what you're attempting to express here.

At any rate, Texas is certainly first or close to first in many things. Most of them things I would be ashamed of, but to each his own.

[opebo]

What tax cuts? The only tax cuts in recent history currently in effect were signed by Barack Obama.

I never said anything about Obama.  The top tax rate used to be 70% or more, now it isn't.  That's the problem.

[krazen1211]

What tax cuts? The only tax cuts in recent history currently in effect were signed by Barack Obama.

I never said anything about Obama.  The top tax rate used to be 70% or more, now it isn't.  That's the problem.

Are you referring to prior times when the federal government collected less revenues and spend less money than it did during the Bush administration?

[I left.]

What tax cuts? The only tax cuts in recent history currently in effect were signed by Barack Obama.

I never said anything about Obama.  The top tax rate used to be 70% or more, now it isn't.  That's the problem.

Are you referring to prior times when the federal government collected less revenues and spend less money than it did during the Bush administration?

Are you going by absolute numbers? Lol.

[Return of the Mack]

Good for Rick.  Good for Texas.  Good for Common Sense.

Down here, we don't like using our childrens' credit card to borrow money for handouts.

[© Tweed the Younger]

it's amazing, it seems elements of the GOP have gone past the point of being of service to capital (note the bit about the hospital industry and PPACA), and now are motivated by a pure and fascistic hate of the declassed Other.

[krazen1211]

What tax cuts? The only tax cuts in recent history currently in effect were signed by Barack Obama.

I never said anything about Obama.  The top tax rate used to be 70% or more, now it isn't.  That's the problem.

Are you referring to prior times when the federal government collected less revenues and spend less money than it did during the Bush administration?

Are you going by absolute numbers? Lol.

No, as a percentage of gross domestic product. I use the charts here.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals

For instance, in 1965, federal receipts and outlays were 17% of GDP. I wonder if that is what opebo prefers.

[greenforest32]

What a "Christian"...

It turns out that a family of three that is already covered by welfare has a $188 per month eligibility cap to qualify for Medicaid.  That cap shakes out to 11.8% of the federal poverty level for a family that size.  I can't get past this little factoid today--it just blows my mind.

Yeah, the state eligibility requirements for welfare and Medicaid are terrible. When Republicans say they want to send other programs like Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, etc to the states this is what they have in mind.

A government safety net should be as low to the ground as possible to prevent moochers from livin' large. Ideally we could outsource this net to the private sector for further budget efficiencies.