Health Officials Decry Texas' Snubbing Of Medicaid Billions

NPR ^ | May 23, 2013 | Wade Goodwyn

[mdittmar]

The state of Texas is turning down billions of federal dollars that would have paid for health care coverage for 1.5 million poor Texans.

By refusing to participate in Medicaid expansion, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, the state will leave on the table an estimated $100 billion over the next decade.

Texas' share of the cost would have been just 7 percent of the total, but for Gov. Rick Perry and the state's Republican-dominated Legislature, even $1 in the name of "Obamacare" was a dollar too much.

"Texas will not be held hostage by the Obama administration's attempt to force us into this fool's errand of adding more than a million Texans to a broken system," Perry said.

[mdittmar]

"$100 billion in federal funds"?,guess npr thinks it's the Federal Governments money

[GeronL]

They aren’t fooling us anymore

[Dalberg-Acton]

They (NPR) seem to think it is “free” money.

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm poor. I'm in Texas. I'm ok with Texas doing this.

/johnny

[jtal]

Brilliant! Bravo Governor Perry!

And a bronx cheer to the author of this biased article.

[Mortrey]

Gov. Rick Perry—the Benghazi Hussein Obama antidote.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

They make it sound like Texas is refusing to take money from the magic money tree. Federal dollars are like heroin. Once you take them, you are trapped and hooked. Especially with the monstrosity called Obamacare. If anyone thinks Obamacare will be a net positive for any state, they are crazy.

[ladyjane]

They (NPR) seem to think

Somebody on NPR thinks?

[SeeSharp]

What they need to do now is pass a law requiring all banks in the state to report all bank accounts belonging to the IRS and all transactions going through them.

[ak267]

NPR = Need People’s Money

[Cheerio]

"$100 billion in federal funds"?,guess npr thinks it's the Federal Governments money

In the LIBTARD brain all money belongs to the Fed Govt and they should be the ones to decide how much an individual can keep. Thus you hear them talk about "how are we going to pay for the tax cut?"

And anyone who blithely thinks the Fed are going to dole out $100 BILLION over the next decade, I have a bridge to sell you. Once a new Congress comes in they will stop these payments to the state - hopefully that will be the GOP. Then the states are left to find other funding sources.

[JCBreckenridge]

I’m poor I’m in Texas and I support Perry.

[Iron Munro]

The state of Texas is turning down billions of federal dollars that would have paid for health care coverage for

1.5 million poor Texans.

1.5 million illegal aliens.

[skeeter]

This'll have the statists and their disgusting media toads crapping their breaches.

For them everything depends upon the entire nation worshipping the federal government.

[Marcella]

What the article doesn't point out, is, after a length of time the federal government money is cut off and the state has to continue the program. If a state gets in it, the state can't get out and has to fork up all the money later. The federal government is saying, “Now you get it, then you don't.”

Texas does not want to go bankrupt like the federal government is and like many states are. We get closer and closer to the “Republic of Texas” the more Hussein tries to push us. Put up a freaking fence between us and the United States before we cave to that Muslim communist.

[dennisw]

Exactly. Only shame is the Feds are going to take the taxes of responsible states like Texas and donate it to the liberal slave plantation states like California, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii

So once again we have a wealth transfer from the hard working to the leeches and parasites, those who only take from Gov’t. Texas oil wealth will be taxed and sent to the indolent states

[Milton Miteybad]

What the article doesn't point out, is, after a length of time the federal government money is cut off and the state has to continue the program. If a state gets in it, the state can't get out and has to fork up all the money later. The federal government is saying, “Now you get it, then you don't.”

Exactly. There is no point in accepting the federal money now to expand the state Medicaid rolls, only to have the federal funds disappear in a few short years. The NPR reporter apparently doesn't realize that the federal money will dry up at some point in the future.

Or...if the reporter does understand that reality, he/she apparently chooses to ignore it for reasons that remain unexplained.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

(a rewrite to put this in context.)

The state of Texas is turning down billions of dollars in exchange for the immortal souls of Texans for seven generations.

By refusing to sell the immortal souls of Texans, and those of their descent, which is part of the Free Wealth for Souls Deal, the state will leave on the table the vast wealth offered by his Satanic majesty.

Texans wouldn’t have to surrender their souls immediately, but for Gov. Rick Perry and the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature, ever selling their souls in the name of greed and luxury was too much.

“Texas will not be held hostage by Satan’s attempt to force us into this fool’s errand of adding the souls of Texans to the burning torments of Hell,” Perry said.

Tom Banning, chief executive officer of the Texan’s Who Want Wealth Without Working For It, lobbied hard but unsuccessfully for the devil’s deal. He’s beside himself with frustration.

“The human soul is a myth. Whoever this Lucifer fellow is, he is offering us a great deal,” Banning says. “And otherwise we will only get what we work for with the sweat of our brows. And we’re going to be forgoing enormous amounts of swag and loot that was just going to be dropped in our laps.”

[combat_boots]

I guess Texans want a better chance on living prior to 2 years old and/or past 40.

[jsanders2001]

> They aren’t fooling us anymore

Though they keep dangling the carrot hoping...