Ohio loses Medicaid money to House cuts

[The Straight Story]

Ohio loses Medicaid money to House cuts

What could have been a $760 million Medicaid windfall for Ohio was stripped from a House bill whose main aim is to extend unemployment benefits and certain tax breaks.

That drew a blast from Gov. Ted Strickland.

House Republicans and some Democrats were balking at the cost of the bill, which was going to include $24 billion for states to extend by six months an expanded federal share of the Medicaid state/federal health care program for the poor. But Democratic leaders cut the legislation's costs way back to get the votes of fiscally conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats.

The higher federal reimbursement rate was included in the 2009 economic-stimulus package. It expires Dec.31, but lawmakers have been talking about keeping the extra dollars flowing through June 30, 2011.

Strickland, a Democrat running for re-election this year, vows to keep lobbying for the extra money. A number of other governors surely will do the same. Unlike some states, Ohio hadn't already assumed the money was coming as part of its budget process.

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/30/copy/dcmed.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

[burnsei sensei]

1. For the rich,

policy is a choice among various gifts.
For the impoverished it is a choice among evils.
Is this policy-making structure some perverted form of population control? Because if it is, only a sociopath could have created it.

[bobbolink]

2. Yup, they are thinning the herd.

[Bryn]

3. Who voted for that kind of cut?

Isn't Dennis K from Ohio?

[ananda]

4. PLENTY of money for war and destruction though.

nt

[1776Forever]

5. Ohio has some very uninformed people & I know for a fact that they don't know the truth!

When their loved one or a friend needs help if and when they acquire a chronic illness and there is no money to help them they will find out how tragic it is! These "blue dogs" are what is killing the progress that is trying to be made on the Federal front. I am so sick of them! God help those in need! A very sad day! :cry: