Loss of Medicaid Expansion Will Cost Texas Taxpayers Billions

[TexasTowelie]

Governor Dipshit

Earlier this week the Texas Observer sat down with State Representative Dr. John Zerwas to talk about the status of Medicaid in Texas.

The Affordable Care Act provides sliding scale assistance for an individual making more than $15,282 a year. This fails to cover some of Texas's poorest residents living below the 133 precent of the federal poverty level. Medicaid expansion ideally would have taken care of these populations, but thanks to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, states are now allowed to opt out of Medicaid.

Texas is currently leaving a $100 billion dollars of taxpayer money on the table by not expanding Medicaid. This will undoubtedly raise healthcare costs in the long run and in turn also hike up local property taxes as they share the burden of most local emergency healthcare costs. It is also estimated that Texas will lose 1.8 billion dollars in taxes in the next four years, according the Observer.

This past legislative session Representative Zerwas, a doctor and a Republican, attempted to pass the Texas version of Medicaid expansion. This bill would have insured that $100 billion federal dollars is not left on the table, and it would also have created options for preventative healthcare for Texas's poorest citizens, those that are not under the protection of The Affordable Care Act because (in theory) they are supposed to be on Medicaid. So at least in Texas, the term "Medicaid expansion" essentially means "Medicaid implementation." The bill did not even make it past the House Calendars Committee [font color=green](of Dipshits)[/font].

More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13912/loss-of-medicaid-expansion-will-cost-texas-taxpayers-billions .

[msongs]

1. an effective democratic party campaign could use this information to win elections yes? nt

[Javaman]

3. and effective democratic party campaign...nt

[mbperrin]

2. There ARE people in the world who actually think Republicans give a shit about them!

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Whoo! (wipes tears from eyes)