17 Democratic Governors Launch Preemptive Strike Against Paul Ryan's Medicaid Proposal

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

17 Democratic Governors Launch Preemptive Strike Against Paul Ryan's Medicaid Proposal
First Posted: 04/ 4/11 05:49 PM ET Updated: 04/ 4/11 05:49 PM ET
Sam Stein

WASHINGTON -- Seventeen Democratic governors have signed and sent a letter to congressional leaders stating their firm opposition to a Medicaid reform proposal championed by House Republicans.

The letter, sent on Monday, is a preemptive strike of sorts against House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) before he unveils a 2012 budget proposal that is expected to endorse turning Medicaid into a block grant program.

“We strongly oppose a congressionally-mandated block grant of federal Medicaid spending, which would shift costs and risk to states,” the governors wrote. “Such a cost shift would severely undercut our ability to provide health care to our residents and adequately pay providers.”

Added the signatories: “We are concerned that Congress, in an attempt to reduce the federal deficit, may pursue the exact opposite course of action by creating a mandated block grant which would do little to address cost growth while shifting costs to states and threatening program integrity.”







Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/04/paul-ryan-medicaid-letter-democratic-governors_n_844697.html

[bloomington-lib]

1. A letter stating their firm opposition?

What the fuck is wrong with people. They're smart enough to know a letter isn't going to change anything. The pubs know pretty much ALL dems are against this. God I'm so sick of this.

[divine_truine]

2. All we hear is State's Rights this State's Rights that! AND THIS IS WHAT GOP HAVE TO SHOW FOR IT?!

republicans don't know what the HELL they are doing. they're just enjoying the fruits of voter/election fraud & misrepresenting facts on important issues!

The mildly apathetic silent majority is finally to beginning to awaken/ seriously late bloomers! better late than never!

American People! EXPOSE THOSE POLITICAL HYPOCRITES WHO ARE WRITING LAWS WHERE CORPORATIONS WIN while people lose! If you are an R or a D or an I or whatever; it doesn't matter about ideology: it's a matter of common sense & decency!

REPUBLICAN TEABAGGERS WANT TO SLASH TRILLIONS FROM THE FEDERAL BUDGET AND NONE OF YOU GREEDY CONGRESSSRITTERS CAN ACCOUNT FOR THE MISSION TRILLION$ FROM PENTAGON/ Defense Budget over the last 10 years!!!!!

REPUBLICAN-TEABAGGERS! EXPLAIN TO US SIMPLE FOLK WHERE IN THE HELL IS THE MISSING TRILLION$ FROM THE PENTAGON/ DoD budgets over the last 10 yrs?! all inspector generals who have oversight responsibilities cannot explain where the money went! Another inside job!

[SaveAmerica]

3. My girl Bev Perdue on board (North Carolina!!)

[highplainsdem]

4. K&R

[jwirr]

5. Before Medicaid became a federal program it was a bunch of varying

state programs. Each state ran their own program with no federal supervision. In Iowa I took my severely disabled daughter to regional free clinics run by the University of Iowa. If the child needed further care they recommended a visit to the U of I hospitals in Iowa City, Iowa. They would make appointments for check ups several times a year and send a fleet of ambulances out into the country side to pick up patients and one family member each. You stayed in government owned housing (which happened to be a series of Quonset huts from Army surplus) until your visit was done and then they sent you home in another ambulance. The hospital would write your doctor their diagnosis and suggest medical treatment. Then you were pretty much on your own until the next visit 6 months away.

And Iowa was considered one of the states that actually had a fairly reasonable health care system and it was.

I do not remember the entire reasons why the state programs were turned into a federal program with state administration but I do remember that not all states were making sure that everyone in the state who needed care got it and it often came down to discrimination. I actually had to work through the county office in the next county because my county refused to accept my daughter because her father had surgery for club feet when he was small using the program.

[Thor_MN]

6. Using Ryan's logic, we can cut all military spending, and just send people a check

That they can use to hire private security.

No need for expensive federal spending, the competition should cause private security costs to go down.

[unkachuck]

7. "...turning Medicaid into a block grant program."

....Republicans lie to us when times are good and they lie to us when times are bad. Do you believe there's a budget crisis?....as severe as they claim? I don't.

....we all know that slimy tax-adverse Republicans don't care about us or this country....and that they won't rest until they force us to send a percentage of every dollar we spend to wall street Republicans....

....Wanted, 'Savior', apply by November 2012....job description,

'On reaching Washington, YOU must enter the capitol area and begin driving out those who are buying and selling there. YOU must overturn the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.'

[Scuba]

8. We need to back these guys. n/t