Yes, universal healthcare at taxpayer expense is their goal, and it is shocking how close they already are to achieving it.
California's version of Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal cost $36B in 2005 -- the second largest item in the State Budget after K-12 Education.
Of that, the Fed puts up $23B and California picks up the other $13B -- including all of the $2B spent on over 400,000 illegal immigrants that are eligible for Medi-Cal even though the Fed does no cost-sharing for illegals. This is on top of all the people that receive free healthcare through Medicare.
Actually, Federal "funds" are a myth. All that money came from California taxpayers originally, anyway. It was withheld as income and payroll taxes and then back to the State as matching funds for these mandated programs.
There are 6.6M people enrolled in Medi-Cal -- in a state with 30M people total. If Medi-Cal is supposed to be only for poor families with children or the elderly poor and disabled, then that would mean 22% of California's population lives in poverty ? Ridiculous. And to spend $36B on 6.6M enrollees means over $5,400 each. That is a lot more than the average premium for excellent HMO plans purchased directly.
California supposedly spends less on its version of Medicaid than most States. Very hard to believe.
I read something at Heritage that says 60% of Medicaid expenses are for services and groups that are not part of the Federal mandate -- it is simply the States themselves playing Santa Claus with taxpayer money. And not spending it wisely when it is costing over $5K/yr per enrollee.
If California eliminated the eligibility for illegals, it would save $2B/yr. If it eliminated all the extras that are not part of the Federal mandate, it would save another $20B. California's portion of the cost sharing would only be $5B instead of the current $13B, saving the taxpayers $8B. That alone would allow California taxes to be reduced by 10%. If all of the States took similar measures, it would cut the Federal Budget by almost $200B !
Too late now, Mexifornia is over!
The lady said it was about health care and was I male,18 or older? Yes
Then she asked if I was Mexican. No.
Then she asked if I was Black. No.
Then she asked if I was America Indian. No.
Then she asked if I was a something else and I came unglued.
I told her I was a 72 year old Dumb Ass native born White guy from a German Heritage and to knock off the refenence to race and get on with the survey.
All I heard was Crickets dial tone...
ping for later
Good article. Thanks.