Kansas Republicans Panic, Consider Medicaid Expansion as Rural Hospital Fails

[eridani]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/16/1421668/-Kansas-Republicans-Panic-Consider-Medicaid-Expansion-as-Rural-Hospital-Fails

Now, in a town of less than ten thousand, they face the loss of significant jobs - 190 directly impacted by the hospital. Hospitals, though, bring outside jobs and revenue. For maintenance crews who help upkeep the HVAC to a vending machine owner who collects the coins twice a month. For the town of Independence, the exit of a hospital represents a serious impact on their way of life.

It may be this moment, however, that forces some serious discussion. Jeff King, (R-Independence) hails from the small community. While he has been a stalwart of opposition to Medicaid Expansion, along with Republicans in the Kansas House, he is now starting to see some light.

"I've never been amenable to just an expansion of the Affordable Care Act," Senate Vice President Jeff King said Tuesday. "But as we look at states like Indiana that take a real state-centric approach to addressing the health care needs of their poor, I think that's something that Kansas needs to strongly consider."

Last week, Mercy Hospital in King's home town of Independence announced it will close its doors Oct. 10. The hospital cited several factors in its decision, including declining reimbursement rates from Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly.

What Senator King knows is that his home community, Montgomery County, has been dealt repeated body blows by the policies of the Kansas Republicans. The loss of a hospital is the newest and most notable, but it was last year when Amazon decided to leave nearby Coffeyville. Amazon at one point hired 1,000 Full Time Employees. Between Amazon, the loss of John Deere (38 employees), and Southwire (200 employees), Montgomery County has been dealt a harsh hand. Montgomery County, and their roughly 35,000 residents were not prepared for the significant job losses that have hammered these small and proud Kansas towns.

[tblue37]

1. K&R. nt

[Human101948]

2. Send them a pair of bootstraps...

At least they'll die with their boots on.

[Vinca]

3. They're opposed until it affects them personally.

[daleanime]

8. Sadly true...

[Hortensis]

4. That and the deadly conservative conventionalism and resistance to change

that together virtually guarantee problems requiring change will not be addressed until the sides of the hole are actually collapsing in on the diggers.

[SoapBox]

5. Pukes and Baggers have some twisted Death Wish...

they simply don't give a shit who gets cut down in the carnage, as long as they stay with their sicko agenda.

And the lemmings that vote them in, get what they deserve.

I never knew about Amazon shutting that facility down...bet they didn't want that widely known.

[Jerry442]

6. It's like watching a person you once liked destroying himself with meth. NT

[hueymahl]

11. What a great analogy NT

[phylny]

7. Gee, ya think? n/t

[Tanuki]

9. You get what you vote for n/t

[Jamastiene]

22. I would be willing to bet the people who voted for Democrats in that state

didn't get what they voted for. I know I didn't here in NC. It is being run into the ground by Tea Party assholes. I cannot wait until McCrory and his band of idiots are gone. They are doing plenty of damage while they are in charge, though. I didn't vote for that.

[rusty quoin]

10. Rush Limbaugh has convinced them well that any idea that comes from the Democratic Party

comes straight from the pit of Hell. It's been a long time Kansas. It's nice to see you just starting to finally wake up.

[TxVietVet]

12. What do Kansans expect? They vote against their own best interests.

Over and over again. Now, AGAIN, they see the end result. Their government is trying to cripple their judicial services so as not to interfere with how the conservanazis want to run their government. The rethugs want to do their program and to Hell with the issue of constitutionality of laws.

Sorry, but if a Kansan asks me for sympathy, I'd have to tell him/her that they can find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.

Also remember that Kansas is the home of the kochsucker brothers. Maybe they can help Kansans who continuously screw their own selves.

"What's the matter with Kansas?"
http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America-ebook/dp/B003J4VEM2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442492526&sr=1-1&keywords=what+happened+to+kansas%3F

[Ligyron]

17. Now that was a great book. nt

[NCjack]

13. Sen. Jeff King is unworthy and realizes that. He failed his constituency. He should resign or

flip to DEM and work to save Kansas.

[madokie]

14. Pretty much all brought on by repub's

and their idiotic notions of what government is about or for.

[hatrack]

15. They voted for it - lower spending, less government, limited services

And by God they got it. Too bad, so sad.

[HooptieWagon]

16. There might be a few Dems there that didn't vote for that shit.

Let's keep them in our thoughts.

[kaiden]

18. I was born in that hospital.

Catholic, run by nuns. Went for-profit in the 80s (because that always works). Independence, Kansas had the highest income per capita in the world in 1900; 80% of its population were millionaires, made rich on oil and gas. Now the building that from 1916 housed the headquarters of Prairie Gas/Sinclair/Arco is being torn down. The baseball stadium that saw Mickey Mantle play semi-pro ball and held the first night baseball game was torn down earlier this summer. Republican policies have devastated Southeast Kansas.

[YabaDabaNoDinoNo]

19. It is refreshing to see the voters getting what they wanted and voted for, it does not happen often

Anyone want to bet KS sends there same people back to Congress after all they did get what they voted for


Perhaps a few needless deaths due to their choices will get them to change their mind


I doubt it. Next week they will have forgotten how they voted for a slow death.

[tabasco]

20. Our hospital in very rural WV is very happy with the ACA

Less unpaid bills & less bad debt.

[Jamastiene]

21. I wish all the states that decided not to expand Medicaid would go ahead

and do it. It's ridiculous that in another state, someone could have access to health care, but in some states, have to pay the full price because of the loophole created when they didn't expand Medicaid like they were supposed to. ACA could have helped many more that way.

[geek tragedy]

23. Brownbackistan just now is noticing that it it's circling the toilet bowl nt

[Doctor_J]

24. freedom!!!!!!! expand Medicaid today, next month Soviet tanks roll down main street

I guess Glenn beck didn't tell them about this part.