Kentucky took a big step away from the modern confederacy yesterday with Gov. Steve Beshear's decision
do the right thing on expanding Medicaid under the dreaded ni**ercommiemuslinterrist Obamacare.
Calling
it “the single-most important decision in our lifetime for improving
the health of Kentuckians,” Gov. Steve Beshear today announced the
inclusion of 308,000 more Kentuckians
in the federal Medicaid health insurance program. The expansion,
together with the creation of the Health Benefit Exchange, will ensure
that every Kentuckian will have access to affordable health insurance.
The
expansion – made in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act
(ACA) – will help hundreds of thousands of Kentucky families,
dramatically improve the state’s
health, create nearly 17,000 new jobs and have a $15.6 billion positive
economic impact on the state between its beginning in Fiscal Year 2014
and full implementation in Fiscal Year 2021, he said.
“I
have repeatedly said that I believe it is in the best interest of the
Commonwealth and its citizens to provide better access to health care
for our people. My only
concern was the cost,” said Gov. Beshear. “We have now done the
exhaustive research – and our conclusion matched what most other states
have found: by expanding Medicaid, Kentucky will come out ahead in terms
of both health outcomes and finances. In fact,
if we don’t expand Medicaid, we will lose money.”
Several
months of internal analysis – as well as outside studies conducted by
the University of Louisville and the Price Waterhouse Coopers accounting
and actuarial
firm – determined that the expansion was a good deal for those families
and for taxpayers. The reviews gathered information about
possible impacts to citizen health, the state budget, workforce and
economic development.
Medicaid
currently provides health care for low-income or disabled citizens.
After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ACA last year, states have the
option to expand
Medicaid eligibility to individuals who earn up to 138 percent of the
Federal Poverty Level (FPL), with the guarantee that the federal
government will cover the entire cost for the first three years.
The
expansion will be effective January 1, 2014. By expanding, every
Kentucky citizen will have access to affordable health care, either
through Medicaid or through
the Health Benefits Exchange – no one will fall into a coverage gap.
The Governor cited several key reasons for expanding the program, including:
·
drastic improvements to Kentucky’s abysmal health rankings;
·
millions in savings to the state budget and Kentucky taxpayers;
·
billions in economic impact to the state, including nearly 17,000 new jobs;
·
preventing costly penalties to businesses and protecting hospital funding; and
·
broad support from health care advocates, county officials, and medical providers.
SNIP
A
new state website houses information about the expansion, including the
CHFS white paper and letters from supporters. Visitors can also
explore county-by-county data
such as how many citizens will be newly eligible for Medicaid, or how
much county jails spent on medical care last year. Visit
http://governor.ky.gov/healthierky to learn more.
At 2,277 words not counting attachments,
it's the longest press release in state government memory. Which explains what took so long to announce what should have been a no-brainer: Beshear scoured the state for every possible statistic, policy statement and program need to marshall an airtight case against the
critics who are already crawling out of the woodwork.
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