Good Editorial from Kirk Watson of Medicaid Expansion in Texas

[Gothmog]

As a matter of full disclosure, Kirk is a friend. I have known him since he was a high school student at a debate camp and we were on law review together.

Kirk is correct about Goodhair and Texas being stupid in not accepting the ACA's medicaid expansion http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Watson-Gov-Perry-s-political-health-care-circus-4879402.php?cmpid=opedhprr

By refusing to secure health coverage for about 1.3 million-1.7 million Texans, those in control are costing Texas about $90 billion over 10 years in tax money we'll send to Washington. A Perryman Group study found that expanding Medicaid would boost Texas' economic output by $270 billion.

Texas already leads the nation in the percentage of residents without health coverage. We should put these billions of dollars to work keeping Texans healthy and cutting down on pricey emergency room visits that, in many cases, are ultimately paid for with local property taxes.

And then there are all the lost economic benefits.

Expanding Medicaid in Texas would create nearly 200,000 jobs, according to a study conducted by Billy Hamilton (Texas' renowned former deputy comptroller) and the nonprofit religious advocacy group, Texas Impact.

If private enterprise were offering that kind of boom, Perry and other officials would pursue it with dizzying abandon.

For example, the governor's ballyhooed deal to bring Caterpillar Inc. to Seguin - a deal the state spent $10 million to consummate - was projected to create just 1,400 jobs. Why not put far more people to work simply by accepting the return of Texans' tax money, especially to serve the dual purpose of keeping Texans healthy?

Texans are smart. They understand the implications - on a family and on the state - when their friends and neighbors try to go without health insurance. In fact, a recent Texas Hospital Association survey shows a majority of Texans think the state should take this money.

Expanding Medicaid would give more than a million Texans more alternatives to taxpayer-funded emergency rooms when they have serious injuries and illnesses.....

Texans deserve that economic benefit. They deserve better health care. And they certainly deserve better than the political circus they've been getting.

[OutNow]

1. One More reason I'm happy I left Texas

After almost 25 years in Texas I moved to Oregon when I retired. Oregon is where my wife attended college and she had great memories. She was correct. I miss Lake Travis, but it hasn't had much water in it the last few years anyway.

I still do hook-im-horns, but my current favorite is quack, quack.