Ohio's Kasich joins other GOP governors in urging Obama to let states cut Medicaid enrollment

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/ohio-gov-elect-kasich-among-gop-governors-asking-obama-to-ease-medicaid-rules

January 7th, 2011 10:45 am ET.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CGE) - Thirty-three GOP governors and governors-elect, including Ohio Gov.-elect John Kasich, will be signatories on a letter to the White House and congressional leaders Friday asking them to remove a part of the health-care overhaul law, The Wall Street Journal reported.

At stake is billions in federal help to states that would disappear as a result of states dropping enrollees from Medicaid rolls, as elected leaders make spending cuts to balance their budgets.

Ohio lawmakers have long decried that over a quarter of the state budget goes to its share of funding Medicaid, a federal/state health program for poor and low-income individuals and families. The federal government currently pays, on average, about 57 percent of states' Medicaid costs.

[dawg]

1. Well, they have to do something ...

raising taxes on the rich is just unthinkable.

[Botany]

2. Good old Christian John Kasich

Hurt the sick and the poor, what a guy.

[zbdent]

3. Dear Wall Street John Kasich ...

Oops, you cost Ohio a bunch of money and jobs when you denied the High Speed Rail project ... did you really think that the money slated for the HSR project would be diverted to some other pet project of yours (paying off your buddies) instead of what the law stated it was to be used on? You know, like the funds for the "Bridge to Nowhere" ...

[madmom]

4. Just what we need, more republican intervention! >: (

[jwirr]

5. There is one way that some of those on medicaid can be removed

from state programs: let them go on medicare. Then the states are off the hook. But didn't we try to get a bill that would give us medicare for all?