Rick Perry Quietly Lobbies The White House For $100 Million In Obamacare Funding

[ProSense]

Rick Perry Quietly Lobbies The White House For $100 Million In Obamacare Funding

By Sy Mukherjee

Politico reported Tuesday evening that Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) administration is in negotiations with the Obama White House to accept about $100 million in federal money to implement an Obamacare Medicaid program to help elderly and disabled Americans.

Perry has been a heated opponent of the health law. He refused to accept $100 billion in federal funding to expand Texas’ Medicaid program under Obamacare, which could have helped 1.5 million poor Texans afford basic health benefits. As recently as April, Perry essentially called the expansion a joke. “Seems to me April Fool’s Day is the perfect day to discuss something as foolish as Medicaid expansion, and to remind everyone that Texas will not be held hostage by the Obama administration’s attempt to force us into the fool’s errand of adding more than a million Texans to a broken system,” said Perry.

Now, Perry is seeking federal dollars for Texas’ Medicaid program anyway.

The Affordable Care Act grants state funding to expand a program called Community First Choice, which aims to improve the community-based medical services available to disabled and elderly Americans. The wildly popular program is administered through Medicaid and could prevent thousands of disabled and older Americans from being uprooted from their homes and into a long-term care facility for their treatments. Approximately 12,000 Texans could take advantage of it in the first year alone.

Perry spokespeople emphasized to Politico that the governor’s support for the program — and the Medicaid funds that make it possible — shouldn’t come as a surprise and doesn’t change his position on the Affordable Care Act.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/08/21/2501321/rick-perry-obamacare-hypocrisy/

[gopiscrap]

1. fucking two faced asshole

my first inclination is to tell him to go to hell, but that just hurts the folks who need it. I think that Obama should make him publicly grovel for it!

[nykym]

3. Agreed on all points

additionally require checks and balances on all appropriated funds to ensure they are not diverted embezzled or misappropriated. Perry needs to account for every single penny from the FED.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

17. also agree. plus oversight.

[louis-t]

2. I LOVE that he has to ask for it.

Tee hee.

[C_U_L8R]

4. Perry has a clear and consistent strategy

It's called Oops.

[JI7]

5. is he going to continue to attack it ?

[Hekate]

6. Come to the White House for a photo-op, Governor, and POTUS will hand over a big check

"Publishers Clearing House" size check -- photo of you shaking hands with the President. Mmm-hmm.

[ProSense]

8. Reminds me of Republicans' stimulus photo-ops in their districts. n/t

[BlancheSplanchnik]

20. oh please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeeeez!

Sure wish he would!!!

[awoke_in_2003]

22. Give him some maple syrup, too. nt

[Pretzel_Warrior]

7. wait. Jan Brewer AND Rick Perry are going for the Medicaid thing? there's more than one Stu Pedaso

in the phone book, it seems.

[mountain grammy]

9. What is most disturbing are the last two paragraphs of the article:

"Advocates for the poor and disabled who support expanding Community First Choice under Obamacare were apprehensive to even talk about the program’s relation to the health law out of fear that Texas officials would back out of their funding bid over political considerations.

“t would be worse than a shame if Texas’s moving ahead with [Community First Choice and Balancing Incentive Program] policies — both are from the ACA — was hurt as the result of scrutiny from a press inquiry,” one Texas advocate told Politico."

Shhhhh.... DON"T TELL THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS!!

[maddiemom]

11. I hate that even supporters are referring to "Obamacare," just as they did "Hillarycare"

before it. Republican strategy ties Affordable Health Care to the advocate who they know is polarizing to many of those who would benefit. The only real objection is the Republican fear that this could become a popular program and benefit Obama. Meanwhile single payer fades further into the background.

[hibbing]

12. +1

Hey,
This also bothers me.

Peace

[Leith]

23. I Thought That the President Himself

Liked the term "Obamacare." I rather like that "Obama" and "Care" are said together and that more and more people are liking the changes as time goes on. I've already seen copay waived for preventative tests and people with young adult children really like that their kids can stay on their health insurance for a little while longer. Everybody you ask likes that preexisting conditions don't bar them from getting insurance.

If everyone associates the Prez with advantages like that, let's keep calling it ObamaCare.

[Rob H.]

10. Typical Republican shitweasel

Come out publicly as vehemently opposed, then later take advantage of the opportunity and hope no one notices. It's just like hypocrite Paul Ryan supporting Bush's stimulus in 2002, then calling Obama's stimulus a "wasteful spending spree" and later quietly asking for stimulus funds.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

18. shitweasel local pukes did the same thing...

in the little rural town I lived in for the past 15 years. The little-tiny-no-streetlight-town supervisors think they're the Earls and Dukes of Honeoye, NY.

It's a beautiful little place. But they need money to refurbish Main Street. So what did the Royalty do with the stimulus money? Built a new town hall.

Yep. I'm not kidding.




Disgusting in their greed and ignorance.

[BillyRibs]

13. What an Ass Whipe!

[Buzz505]

14. Fuck Perry

and the horse he rode in on.

[oldandhappy]

15. Make him say it on TV in prime time!!

[pauliedangerously]

16. Reminds me of Ayn Rand...

collecting Social Security benefits. Sheesh...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

19. really.

[blkmusclmachine]

21. Oops.

[MADem]

24. All I can say is "Hardy har har!!!" nt