Yesterday, we posted about the Republican love for partisan catch phrase to cost Minnesota hospitals $100 million statewide. One source for the post was the Mankato Free Press.
Today, the Free Press editorial board gave a "Thumbs Down" to the way the GOP distorts Medicaid issue:
Thumbs down
To Republican leaders in the Legislature and gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer for distorting the issue of the state getting $1.4 billion from the federal government to provide health care for the poor.
The Republicans including Sen. Dave Senjem, and Emmer, said they will not accept the $1.4 billion in federal money because it is “Obamacare” and part of a government takeover of health care.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The Medicaid program Minnesota’s next governor has the chance to tap was started during the presidency of George W. Bush. In fact, a vote in April of 2008 had dozens of Republicans in Congress and all of Minnesota’s Republican members voting to stop cuts to Medicaid.
. . .Republican insiders have said they want to make the election a referendum on “Obamacare.”. . .
Emmer said he will refuse to enroll the state in the program if he is governor. That’s too bad. Many rural hospitals, including ISJ-Mayo, favored the state tapping the money since it was going to bring their reimbursement rates for serving those poor patients closer to their costs. Without the money, there likely will be job losses in Mankato’s significant health care industry.
Go read the whole thing at the Free Press. A news article is also worth a read:ISJ says Pawlenty fund refusal will hurt:
Immanuel St. Joseph’s — Mayo Health System says Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s refusal to accept federal health care funding will cause hospitals to be paid less than care cost for poor patients and shift costs to patients who can pay.
ISJ said it will have to shift more than $10 million of costs on to those who are able to pay their bills through their own personal payments, or through their insurance.
The federal Medicaid money would have given Minnesota $7 for each $1 invested by the state in care for indigents. Republican legislators and the governor made the payments an issue late in the session, calling the payments “Obamacare” that the state should not take.
Mayo Clinic as a whole is expected to lose between $20 million and $30 million this year because of the governor’s decision.
The MNGOP certainly has become addicted to government by catchphrase, the health of the governed be damned.
I think what the governor did with health care for the poor in Minnesota is terrible. He should be ashamed of himself! The new Coordinated Care Delivery System is a terrible system! I had breast cancer, had mastectomy surgery, that was covered by GMAC and should be able to have reconstruction surgery too but because of the new system I am unable to have the reconstruction surgery. Thank goodness I did not have to have chemotherapy because IV chemotherapy is one medication that the new system will not pay for! Are people supposed to die because of one man's decision? I am DEVASTATED! SHAME ON YOU GOV PAWLENTY!
Posted by: Terri Brock | Jun 18, 2010 at 01:18 AM