Unlike eight of his fellow Republican Governors who have put the interests of their residents ahead of party politics, Governor Sean Parnell is refusing to accept federal funds for expanding Medicaid to 37,000 needy Alaskans.
Although no fan of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey explains his decision to accept the Medicaid expansion in typical blunt language: “It is now the law of the land, and I will make all my judgments as governor based on what I believe is best for New Jersey.”
Governor Scott from Florida explained his rationale in an op-ed entitled, “A Republican Governor’s Rationale for Expanding Medicaid.” Here is the essence of his argument: “To be clear — our options are either having Floridians pay to fund this program in other states while denying health care to our citizens or using federal funding to help some of the poorest in our state with the Medicaid program as we explore other health care reforms.”
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said of her decision to expand Medicaid: “With this move, we will secure a federal revenue stream to cover the costs of the uninsured who already show up in our doctor’s offices and emergency rooms … Weigh the evidence and do the math. With the realities facing us, taking advantage of this federal assistance is the strategic way to reduce Medicaid pressure on the state budget.”
Did Governor Parnell do the math or just resort back to ideology for rejecting an expansion to be paid 100 percent for the first three years and 90 percent thereafter? According to the March 1 story in the Juneau Empire, Governor Parnell believes the dysfunction in Congress and the fiscal mess of going from ‘fiscal cliff’ to ‘sequester’ makes it too risky for the State to go forward with an expansion of Medicaid. He feels this way even though Medicaid is largely shielded from the sequestration cuts and the total cost to cover these uninsured once the federal government pays 90 percent instead of 100 percent would be $149 million up to the year 2022 according to the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
This additional is just 3.4 percent more than what Alaska would have spent on Medicaid in the absence of the ACA. This is a paltry amount when the Governor proposes a total budget of $12.8 billion for 2014. If the governor is so concerned about the uncertainty of federal funds in today’s political climate that he can’t risk such an inconsequential costs for including more Alaskans into Medicaid, then how does he square submitting a state budget that relies on receiving $2.9 billion from the federal government?
The hypocrisy does not end there. Governor Parnell noted in his press conference, “With Washington broken and broke, it just seems to me that Alaska has got to take care of ourselves and work smarter to secure its own future.” So is the governor proposing some alternative means for taking care of Alaska’s uninsured that show up in our emergency rooms? No. Instead, the only plan to take care of ourselves is for highly profitable oil companies to receive billions in tax breaks.
Rather than follow the lead of other Republican governors who are doing the math and then setting aside their conservative ideology for the good of their citizens, Governor Parnell appears to be on a course to establish himself as one of the nation’s most extreme right-wing Governors. And the logic he uses in justifying his decisions is full of inconsistencies. There is no even hand in the application of his fiscal principles.
For example, if you’re a school district struggling to maintain proven programs at increasing graduation rates above 70 percent, he wants more results before increasing the base student allowance for the first time in three years. But if you’re a big oil company, you don’t even have to commit to increased production before you get to fatten your profit margin. If the project is a ferry that has a cost overrun, it gets drastically altered. But if the project is a road or airport with cost overruns — no problem. It will routinely get adjusted for within DOT’s overall budget. Now we have one more casualty of Governor Parnell’s skewed, favoritism-driven application of conservative principles… 37,000 uninsured Alaskans.
• Troll is a long-time Alaskan with more than 22 years of experience in fisheries, coastal policy and energy policy. She resides in Douglas.
Comments (48)
Add commentmore points
i just copied and pasted a comment that got 11,000 points and i pasted it and only got 464... that's pissing me off
Go Sean Go!!!
It is quite refreshing to see that those with a more conservative approach and self sufficient attitude towards life can still win the day with facts and reason. Here are some facts of life that are too stubborn to go away:
1) Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and he feeds himself for a lifetime,
2) If free loaders worked as hard at self improvement as they do getting government hand outs they would be very successful at life and experience true liberty and not government slavery,
3) Serve others in the way you wish to be served. Give to those in true need and help those that are willing to help themselves.
I could go on but the point has been made; You get out of life what you are willing to put into it!
There is a time for states to turn to the federal branch in time
of need. Being a member of a United States of America many of our sister states have realized relief when otherwise it would not be there.
There was a time in my life when I felt I could do it alone.
This is not such a time.
The United States of America is just that, united. This is exactly where we have turned, as states, in time of need. The united front of states have come together to make us whole. Granted, the federal branch has come up short in the past...but perhaps we, as states, are expecting some superhuman event to make it all right.
State citizens have far surpassed federal monies, and as a rule relief has somehow eked its way into the most needy neighborhoods. State citizens have been there.
State citizens rule!
I, for one, am proud to belong to such a group.
Double standard
The commenters here have no problem with the COST of medical care...only that someone might get something they didn't earn or deserve. They can go to the emergency room...or better yet die....
With the same breath they are OK with taking from the government in the form of school vouchers to further a private education for their children. I call BS on double standards.
Why are we not raging over the cost of medical care? But for the preventive costs this would be a different discussion. What happen to the good old days when you paid your doctor a fair price out of pocket and insured your family against catastrophic costs?
toll of medicaid expansion
Fact: expansion of medicaid will proportionally increase the number of unnecessary visits to clinics and hospitals.
these visits tax the medical profession to extent that clinics will no longer accept medicaid patients. Because govt bureaucracy as it is has them providing these services at a loss.
Clinics have that right; they provide non-emergency services. This is not selfish; they have business to run, just like Subway Sandwich or Western Auto.
Unbelievable - I get the
Unbelievable - I get the impression that some of the posters here believe that if we don't expand Medicaid (with a rather large portion funded with Federal money) that we will somehow not have to pay for the medical costs of the poor uninsured. Really? We will pay - they will simply go to the hospital emergency room where they can't be denied treatment, and then not pay the bill they can't afford. Then all of us will pay in the form of increased costs of services. Last time I went to the emergency room, they charged me $7.50 for ONE pill - then gave me a prescription for 30 of those same pills. The prescription for all 30 was only $7 - That works out to just under 24 cents per pill. $7.50 for a 24 cent pill? We are ALREADY paying for the cost of others unpaid bills....why not get the same funds the rest of the USA is entitled to?
@JNUKara
They will have to go to ER anyway when clinics no longer accept medicaid [see my post right above yours]. Medicaid recipients lose, taxpayers lose, and hospitals lose because they cannot refuse medical services. And when hospitals lose, we all lose because costs go up across the board to cover strain of increased govt involvement with non-medical bureaucratniks evaluating what medicaid will/will not cover.
@Grendel
SO your solution is to ...what...do nothing for these folks? I'm fine...to heck with you? I simply don't understand what YOU would do to solve the medical care crisis. And if you think costs will EVER come down, you are delusional. No one gives up their profit. Why should medical care be a privilege of the rich?
@Mama T
Steady now. I'm saying that expansion of a broken & abused system is NOT the solution. Also, I have no confidence in feds' ability to execute expansion in any efficient manner. Nor should you. Incompetence & inefficiency should not be encouraged.
Fact is, fed govt is capricous & irresponsible. Why should Alaska put stock in that? Because other states are? They are deep in the RED; we are not. Yet.
I believe Alaska should take care of Alaskans. I think that's Gov Parnell's mindset as well. Now let's hope for appropriate legislation to generate the revenue & put it into practice.
@Grendel
It's very easy to criticize but we need SOMETHING and so far Affordable Healthcare is all we've got. We must stop runaway costs....and before you go there....The healthcare law isn't why costs are out of control. Hyperinflation in the cost of healthcare is why we are having the discussion.The Healthcare law is a response to this failing system. The only difference is WHO it is failing. The business is fine...but people die.
and ...I noticed you did not answer the question. offer your ideas on this very difficult problem. America needs solutions. We deserve to be heard. Unfortunatly our voice is not as valuable as the big contributors.
to Mama T
ACA was rammed down our collective throats, or elsewhere -- either way, it was forced on us. Every effort was made to ensure it got passed, like backroom drug deal.
My solution -- scrap it, defund it, admit it was wrong answer and attack the problem, as you stated -- runaway cost of care.
Why are costs so high? because med professionals are greedy? Or, maybe the cost of doing business (malpractice insurance, tort, legal protection, etc.) has created a surcharge to routine clinical visits and neurological surgery alike.
You nailed it with last sentence. DC is full of shitflies that refuse to address the problem. Much easier to focus on the consequences with 100,000 new regulations.
Here's why Parnell is correct to resist Obamacare
Judge Kithil of Marble Falls, TX - highlighted the most egregious pages of HB3200
Please read this....... especially the reference to pages 58 & 59
JUDGE KITHIL wrote:
Page 50/section 152:
The bill will provide insurance to all non-U.S. residents, even if they are here illegally.
Page 58 and 59:
The government will have real-time access to an individual's bank account and will have the authority to make electronic fund transfers from those accounts.
Page 65/section 164:
The plan will be subsidized (by the government) for all union members, union retirees and for community organizations (such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - ACORN).Page 203/line 14-15:
The tax imposed under this section will not be treated as a tax. (How could anybody in their right mind come up with that?)
Page 241 and 253:
Doctors will all be paid the same regardless of specialty, and the government will set all doctors' fees.
Page 272. section 1145:
Cancer hospital will ration care according to the patient's age.
Page 317 and 321:
The government will impose a prohibition on hospital expansion; however, communities may petition for an exception.
Page 425, line 4-12:
The government mandates advance-care planning consultations. Those on Social Security will be required to attend an "end-of-life planning" seminar every five years. (Death counseling..)
Page 429, line 13-25:
The government will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order.
HAD ENOUGH???? Judge Kithil then goes on to identify:
"Finally, it is specifically stated that this bill will not apply to members of Congress.Honorable David Kithil of Marble Falls, Texas
Mama T
If you read this then you've read glacierdogs' post too. Still think this Obamacare is better than nothing?
It's got warts and leaks pus and we still dont know full impact, except that if fully implemented it will fundamentally change Amerika.
Moreover
The Parnell administration is the first to actually try to reduce health care costs. So Parnell not only talks the talk but he walks the walk. He is honest, Obama is not. End of story.
hypocrites
all....take the gov. money unless it if for something you don't like then it is "socialism", the end of the earth and fomenting cats and dogs to live together!! Parnell is a shill for corporate Alaska that does not have your interests at heart and could care less if you work hard or not. As long as you believe his and his masters crap they are good and you will end up screwed. Let's do that experiment with not taking fed money, Parnell should refuse all federal dollars for anything including closing down the military bases. I wonder how that will work out for the hypocrites, probably be the first ones crying foul and pulling their hair out.
@kj
has it occured to you that the ACA is robbing from medicare to fund medicaid? If you're a senior this should be of concern because your value to the Hive has about played out; your benefits are going to be first to get the Chop.
there should have been claxons going off in CBO when they re-assessed cost of Obamacare from $900B to $2.3T. And they still dont know what's in it.
This is not socialism. This is incompetence and arrogance meeting in dark alley for an expensive, clumsy grope. And when ship hits the sand I would bet my last dollar that no one will be held accountable. Because they are wormy, but compassionate, progressives who think they are beyond reproach.
you have to work with medicaid recipients
as I have before you can and will honestly call many of them moochers.
The demands for "escorts" (people to carry the shopping bags), specific travel dates for "health reasons" (as long as they match up with the latest basketball games or seasonal shopping needs), taxpayers need to pay for all my kids to travel and one babydaddy/boyfriend (we all want a taxpayer funded vacation)-because I don't want to leave my kids with anyone else and then I need my boyfriend to watch the kids when I'm with the doctor and another of my favorites-"you have no right to tell me where or when I can go see a doctor. I want the best and I think the best is in Hawaii, California, etc.
One of my absolute favorite calls to receive was from medicaid recipients who were on vacation. The demands were crazy for taxpayers to fly them home because they got sick on vacation and taxpayers need to cover it because they're poor. You have no idea how much I wanted to say "If you can afford the vacation, you can afford ot pay for your family's healthcare" but of course I would have been fired for daring to speak the truth.