Congressional Republicans have to come up with some good ideas fast, since the shutdown is looming in a few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the ideas<\/a> floated has to do with cutting Medicaid<\/a>. So maybe the Idaho legislature is going off halfcocked, since they have floated their own proposals<\/a> in the last few weeks. Are they working together? We know for sure Democrats aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But then, who wants to stand up and defend Medicaid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doctors hate it since it pays them a bit more than a couple dozen eggs for what the private insurances might pay one snow tire for their SUV. That is, if they code<\/a> it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But honestly, that is one of the strengths of Medicaid. It puts out the payment schedule and doctors can either take it or not. Doesn\u2019t that save you, the taxpayer money?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health insurance companies have a mixed incentive. Sure, they want to be able to compete to lower costs and thus get more subscribers. But then, if they get to charge a bit more to their enrollees, they have a little more to send off to their stockholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aren\u2019t the complexities of the healthcare market fascinating?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we could just get it a little more complicated, maybe you all would show up at the statehouse with pitchforks. Maybe that\u2019s the weave our President is considering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s it! Trump and his congressional toadies have this plan to kick 27% of Americans currently covered by Medicaid off their health insurance so there will actually be a ground swell for single payer, simplifying this corrupt and despicable health care system we are all burdened with. Bernie must be whispering and maybe they are listening?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s do some more numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly 60% of American children<\/a> are covered by Medicaid. Maybe they will have little pitchforks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While 51% of pregnant women deliver their babies with private health insurance, that is split amongst hundreds, thousands of insurance companies. Docs love it because these private companies pay over twice what Medicaid pays. But if you compare all the payers, Medicaid is the biggest provider of insurance<\/a> for women having babies. And the sad part is that they are just getting started figuring out<\/a> how to do this better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pregnant women shouldn\u2019t have to carry pitchforks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about those really expensive patients? The severely disabled comprise just 13% of Medicaid enrollees, but the account for three times that percent of the total budget. Folks in wheelchairs with pitchforks? Wouldn\u2019t that just tug at the Bro\u2019s heartstrings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Idaho whiners<\/a> who are focused on the Idaho costs of Medicaid expansion have their numbers. And they know the Idaho budget. But can they see the big picture? Will the folks with pitchforks see the big picture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not complicated. It\u2019s a simple consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are the richest country in the world. You might want to make us great again, and I do too. But the way to do that is to confront our healthcare swamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can dismantle USAID, but that\u2019s not 18% of our GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States, the richest country in the world, spends about twice per capita what any other country does, and we are sicker for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do we need to run down the \u201csicker\u201d numbers? I\u2019m running out of space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t think Medicaid is the solution to all our problems. But it has some of the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t think dissolving Medicaid at the federal level justifies cutting corporate and wealthy folks\u2019 taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And here in Idaho, dropping Medicaid expansion coverage is short sighted. It would cause harm to our state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need elected representatives with some vision, some leadership. Maybe health care is that fulcrum. There\u2019s not a lot of profit in this for Elon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should keep our pitchforks ready.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Congressional Republicans have to come up with some good ideas fast, since the shutdown is looming in a few weeks. One of the ideas floated has to do with cutting Medicaid. So maybe the Idaho legislature is going off halfcocked, … Continue reading