Obamacare Goes down in Defeat in Virginia

[WelfareQueen]

The poor Dems. They thought they could push through a vast Medicaid expansion in Virginia only to find it go down in defeat after one of their own defects. Sweet!!! The Republicans also placed an amendment saying Medicaid expansion could not go forward without authorization from the legislature and their approval for funding.

Poor Dems. Sad.

After Messy Battle, Virginia Legislature Rejects Obamacare Medicaid Expansion



The Virginia legislature passed a budget Thursday night that rejected the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, potentially the end of one of the most bitter Medicaid fights in the country.

Virginia’s Republicans adamantly oppose adopting the Medicaid expansion made possible by the federal health-care law, but Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe promised to keep fighting. The expansion would expand Medicaid health coverage to those earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, initially funded by federal taxpayers. State taxpayers will cover a growing share up to 10 percent of the program’s cost in subsequent years.

The budget included an amendment stating that the executive branch cannot expand Medicaid unless the legislature appropriates the money for it, an addition meant to prevent McAuliffe from accepting the expansion by executive fiat.

“When this budget reaches my desk I will evaluate it carefully and take the actions that I deem necessary, but this fight is far from over,” McAuliffe said in a statement just after the vote. “This is the right thing to do for Virginia, and I will not rest until we get it done.

State politicians have been battling over accepting the Medicaid expansion for months, but Republicans gained control of the state senate Monday when a Democratic state senator resigned from a previously evenly split chamber. Sen. Phil Puckett resigned Monday amid reports that he’s being considered for a top job with the Republican-controlled state tobacco commission.

McAuliffe will have to accept the budget by June 30, when the current spending plan ends, in order to avert a government shutdown. The ongoing struggle over whether or not to accept the Medicaid expansion has brought the state government very close to a shutdown, with Attorney General Mark Herring recently hiring a constitutional law expert as an adviser, the Washington Post reported in late May.

Ironically enough, the one Democratic senator, Sen. Lynwood Lewis, that joined Republicans to pass the budget said Friday that his vote was a mistake — but the flub would not have affected the outcome of the vote.

If the legislature’s plan sticks, Virginia brings the tally of states that rejected the Medicaid expansion up to 22, largely Republican-controlled states. Republican Indiana Governor Mike Pence is the latest to reach a deal with the Obama administration to adopt its own version of the Medicaid expansion, under the guise of expanding the state’s Healthy Indiana Plan, sparking significant criticism from conservatives

 

[sameech]

This is the democratic governor playing brinksmanship and losing. As I recall, the dispute really wasn't whether or not to do something, but how it would be done. The GOP wanted to pass a budget and then look at the issue as a supplemental program, but the Governor was insistent that it be included in the budget or he would not sign it. Virginia has the best bond rating in the nation. It will not jeopardize it because it is money in the bank. McAuliffe should have been willing to work with the GOP plan of attack instead of holding the state budget hostage all term.

 

[Sarah G]

Voters want medicaid expanded. Governor Kasich here in Ohio balked at first but the voters encouraged him change his stance in the end.

VA is having a problem with it's Republicans as you know. They might want to rethink their extreme hate for the poor in America.

 

[Disir]

Well, then they will have to put something together to match it...........like the other states. Couldn't happen to a better group of people.

 

[Sarah G]

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid

The decision to resist Medicaid expansion obviously has serious consequences for the low-income Americans who can’t access insurance, and that’s why activists have branded the fight over expansion as a “moral issue.” But there are additional impacts outside of health care, too. Agreeing to expand Medicaid can also benefit states in a range of other ways:

1. Preventing layoffs and creating new jobs.

The Mercy health system — which is the sixth-largest Catholic health care system in the country — announced this week that it will be forced to lay off 300 workers in multiple different states. Officials cited states’ refusal to expand Medicaid as one of the main reasons it can no longer afford to keep its current staffing level. On the other hand, multiple studies have projected that agreeing to accept the expansion will help states create thousands of new jobs in the health care sector to accommodate their growing population of insured residents.

2. Helping kids stay in school.

Expanding health coverage for low-income children can actually help them stay in high school, go to college, and complete a bachelor’s degree, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. After Cornell and Harvard researchers examined the effects of Medicaid expansion in the 1980s and 1990s, they found that extending health insurance to poor kids can actually reduce economic and and educational inequality. That’s likely because of two factors: healthier kids tend to do better in school, and families that don’t have to spend so much money on health costs are freed up to focus on helping their children succeed in school.

3. Raising household incomes.

Without insurance, medical bills can bankrupt a family. But when families have health care plans to help them cover the cost of their medications and procedures, they’re able to save the money they otherwise would have spent on those services. There’s already evidence that Obamacare could help save some struggling Americans from financial distress, and boost the poorest Americans’ personal incomes by five percent. But that’s only if the coverage expansion is actually implemented.

4. Keeping hospitals open.

For some hospitals, the consequences of rejecting Medicaid expansion is even more dire than being forced to lay off staff. Many of the hospitals serving the poorest communities can’t afford to stay operating without the funding from the expansion, including the financial boon from serving more patients who have insurance. Rural hospitals in states like Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are being forced to close. This isn’t an unexpected consequence; hospital associations have lobbied hard for Medicaid expansion over the past year, predicting that failing to implement this Obamacare provision will cause them to close some of their facilities in impoverished areas.

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid | ThinkProgress

 

[Disir]

Pssshaaw, Sarah, these folks aren't interested in this. They need to see more death, more inability to pay, before they get real. The best that can be done is to hope to hell that a few of the people have to deal with it, file bankruptcy, and live long enough to tell the tale.

 

[Sarah G]

Pssshaaw, Sarah, these folks aren't interested in this. They need to see more death, more inability to pay, before they get real. The best that can be done is to hope to hell that a few of the people have to deal with it, file bankruptcy, and live long enough to tell the tale.

I'm with you on this one. The Wingnuts are not seeing the bigger picture here.

 

[Disir]

Pssshaaw, Sarah, these folks aren't interested in this. They need to see more death, more inability to pay, before they get real. The best that can be done is to hope to hell that a few of the people have to deal with it, file bankruptcy, and live long enough to tell the tale.

I'm with you on this one. The Wingnuts are not seeing the bigger picture here.

They have no intention of it. I say, cool..............I hope to hell that a few of them lose everything. That's what it's going to take. Let's hurry up then.

 

[emilynghiem]

Let's work out an agreement.

If states want that same amount of federal funding to go into health care,
then agree to tax incentives and breaks to KEEP the funds generated by the states
from going to the feds in the first place! Reward states, citizens, businesses, schools and parties for setting up localized systems of medical services facilities and programs.

convert prisons and veteran facilities into teaching hospitals and treatment centers
where interns can earn their medical and nursing degrees by serving the public while they get their training under supervision. So save more resources, serve more people, and create jobs in every state, for student and veteran assistance, and take the burden off the federal govt to end this tug of war conflicts over funding and control of health policies.

Voters want medicaid expanded. Governor Kasich here in Ohio balked at first but the voters encouraged him change his stance in the end.

VA is having a problem with it's Republicans as you know. They might want to rethink their extreme hate for the poor in America.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Voters want medicaid expanded. Governor Kasich here in Ohio balked at first but the voters encouraged him change his stance in the end.

VA is having a problem with it's Republicans as you know. They might want to rethink their extreme hate for the poor in America.

So THAT'S why they turned it down...Because YOU say the voters wanted it.
Newsflash there cupcake, only parasites want this nonsense.

 

[emilynghiem]

All this can be done by keeping revenue and resources within the States to manage themselves with less federal bureaucracy as the middle man.

Instead of taxpayers paying more and more TO the federal govt, and then having to FIGHT politically to get it back.

BYPASS the feds/middle man, deduct taxes for directly INVESTING in these hospitals, schools, facilities and programs, and TAKE BACK control of resources and management
directly through each state.

That's less politics, less backlog and complication through federal administrations,
and more direct democratic management of resources to meet local needs per State.

This can be done through Party, through medical schools and programs that already have established relationships with state and federal govt. And rework the system to be local.
Everyone will be happy.

The conservatives will have shifted control of resources back to people and states
to decide democratically.

And the liberals can cover diverse populations and needs through LOCALIZED representation, instead of having to fight politically at the very top of govt out of reach.

We could be working together on a win/win situation, left and right together,
and both get what we want out of the deal. Instead of targeting and blaming problems on the other groups, where nobody has control of the process or resources, and the federal govt keeps stepping in to impose control as a middle man/third party.

The states can solve their own problems by working directly with all given resources,
not depending on federal govt to come in and fight politically against each other!

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid

The decision to resist Medicaid expansion obviously has serious consequences for the low-income Americans who can’t access insurance, and that’s why activists have branded the fight over expansion as a “moral issue.” But there are additional impacts outside of health care, too. Agreeing to expand Medicaid can also benefit states in a range of other ways:

1. Preventing layoffs and creating new jobs.

The Mercy health system — which is the sixth-largest Catholic health care system in the country — announced this week that it will be forced to lay off 300 workers in multiple different states. Officials cited states’ refusal to expand Medicaid as one of the main reasons it can no longer afford to keep its current staffing level. On the other hand, multiple studies have projected that agreeing to accept the expansion will help states create thousands of new jobs in the health care sector to accommodate their growing population of insured residents.

2. Helping kids stay in school.

Expanding health coverage for low-income children can actually help them stay in high school, go to college, and complete a bachelor’s degree, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. After Cornell and Harvard researchers examined the effects of Medicaid expansion in the 1980s and 1990s, they found that extending health insurance to poor kids can actually reduce economic and and educational inequality. That’s likely because of two factors: healthier kids tend to do better in school, and families that don’t have to spend so much money on health costs are freed up to focus on helping their children succeed in school.

3. Raising household incomes.

Without insurance, medical bills can bankrupt a family. But when families have health care plans to help them cover the cost of their medications and procedures, they’re able to save the money they otherwise would have spent on those services. There’s already evidence that Obamacare could help save some struggling Americans from financial distress, and boost the poorest Americans’ personal incomes by five percent. But that’s only if the coverage expansion is actually implemented.

4. Keeping hospitals open.

For some hospitals, the consequences of rejecting Medicaid expansion is even more dire than being forced to lay off staff. Many of the hospitals serving the poorest communities can’t afford to stay operating without the funding from the expansion, including the financial boon from serving more patients who have insurance. Rural hospitals in states like Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are being forced to close. This isn’t an unexpected consequence; hospital associations have lobbied hard for Medicaid expansion over the past year, predicting that failing to implement this Obamacare provision will cause them to close some of their facilities in impoverished areas.

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid | ThinkProgress

 

[JakeStarkey]

After Messy Battle, Virginia Legislature Rejects Obamacare Medicaid Expansion

Guarantees a dem victory in the next major state elections.

 

[Listening]

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid

The decision to resist Medicaid expansion obviously has serious consequences for the low-income Americans who can’t access insurance, and that’s why activists have branded the fight over expansion as a “moral issue.” But there are additional impacts outside of health care, too. Agreeing to expand Medicaid can also benefit states in a range of other ways:

1. Preventing layoffs and creating new jobs.

The Mercy health system — which is the sixth-largest Catholic health care system in the country — announced this week that it will be forced to lay off 300 workers in multiple different states. Officials cited states’ refusal to expand Medicaid as one of the main reasons it can no longer afford to keep its current staffing level. On the other hand, multiple studies have projected that agreeing to accept the expansion will help states create thousands of new jobs in the health care sector to accommodate their growing population of insured residents.

2. Helping kids stay in school.

Expanding health coverage for low-income children can actually help them stay in high school, go to college, and complete a bachelor’s degree, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. After Cornell and Harvard researchers examined the effects of Medicaid expansion in the 1980s and 1990s, they found that extending health insurance to poor kids can actually reduce economic and and educational inequality. That’s likely because of two factors: healthier kids tend to do better in school, and families that don’t have to spend so much money on health costs are freed up to focus on helping their children succeed in school.

3. Raising household incomes.

Without insurance, medical bills can bankrupt a family. But when families have health care plans to help them cover the cost of their medications and procedures, they’re able to save the money they otherwise would have spent on those services. There’s already evidence that Obamacare could help save some struggling Americans from financial distress, and boost the poorest Americans’ personal incomes by five percent. But that’s only if the coverage expansion is actually implemented.

4. Keeping hospitals open.

For some hospitals, the consequences of rejecting Medicaid expansion is even more dire than being forced to lay off staff. Many of the hospitals serving the poorest communities can’t afford to stay operating without the funding from the expansion, including the financial boon from serving more patients who have insurance. Rural hospitals in states like Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are being forced to close. This isn’t an unexpected consequence; hospital associations have lobbied hard for Medicaid expansion over the past year, predicting that failing to implement this Obamacare provision will cause them to close some of their facilities in impoverished areas.

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid | ThinkProgress

Republicans don't care,remember its the poor who will be able to get health insurance if its expanded...they are the party of the billionaires...exactly why they are dying as a party.

None of you dumbasses even attempted to take on this thread. It clearly refutes the BS claims of Diablabber.

http://www.usmessageboard.com/polit...nest-people-point-the-errors-in-my-facts.html

Get on that thread and take him on or STFU.

Liars.

 

[Harry Dresden]

they have a Democrat as their governor....

 

[Disir]

Let's work out an agreement.

If states want that same amount of federal funding to go into health care,
then agree to tax incentives and breaks to KEEP the funds generated by the states
from going to the feds in the first place! Reward states, citizens, businesses, schools and parties for setting up localized systems of medical services facilities and programs.

convert prisons and veteran facilities into teaching hospitals and treatment centers
where interns can earn their medical and nursing degrees by serving the public while they get their training under supervision. So save more resources, serve more people, and create jobs in every state, for student and veteran assistance, and take the burden off the federal govt to end this tug of war conflicts over funding and control of health policies.

Voters want medicaid expanded. Governor Kasich here in Ohio balked at first but the voters encouraged him change his stance in the end.

VA is having a problem with it's Republicans as you know. They might want to rethink their extreme hate for the poor in America.

Let's make a deal. You wear a pin for every individual that dies with their name on it in the US due to the inability to afford medical care OR in areas where there are none. I mean if we are willing as a people to celebrate the inability for medicaid expansion then by golly-LETS CELEBRATE.

Be who you are.

 

[Sarah G]

Voters want medicaid expanded. Governor Kasich here in Ohio balked at first but the voters encouraged him change his stance in the end.

VA is having a problem with it's Republicans as you know. They might want to rethink their extreme hate for the poor in America.

So THAT'S why they turned it down...Because YOU say the voters wanted it.
Newsflash there cupcake, only parasites want this nonsense.

Not true.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Voters want medicaid expanded. Governor Kasich here in Ohio balked at first but the voters encouraged him change his stance in the end.

VA is having a problem with it's Republicans as you know. They might want to rethink their extreme hate for the poor in America.

I see you have the talking points down pat..
I have an idea. If you are so worried about the poor, write some checks.

 

[thereisnospoon]

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid

The decision to resist Medicaid expansion obviously has serious consequences for the low-income Americans who can’t access insurance, and that’s why activists have branded the fight over expansion as a “moral issue.” But there are additional impacts outside of health care, too. Agreeing to expand Medicaid can also benefit states in a range of other ways:

1. Preventing layoffs and creating new jobs.

The Mercy health system — which is the sixth-largest Catholic health care system in the country — announced this week that it will be forced to lay off 300 workers in multiple different states. Officials cited states’ refusal to expand Medicaid as one of the main reasons it can no longer afford to keep its current staffing level. On the other hand, multiple studies have projected that agreeing to accept the expansion will help states create thousands of new jobs in the health care sector to accommodate their growing population of insured residents.

2. Helping kids stay in school.

Expanding health coverage for low-income children can actually help them stay in high school, go to college, and complete a bachelor’s degree, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. After Cornell and Harvard researchers examined the effects of Medicaid expansion in the 1980s and 1990s, they found that extending health insurance to poor kids can actually reduce economic and and educational inequality. That’s likely because of two factors: healthier kids tend to do better in school, and families that don’t have to spend so much money on health costs are freed up to focus on helping their children succeed in school.

3. Raising household incomes.

Without insurance, medical bills can bankrupt a family. But when families have health care plans to help them cover the cost of their medications and procedures, they’re able to save the money they otherwise would have spent on those services. There’s already evidence that Obamacare could help save some struggling Americans from financial distress, and boost the poorest Americans’ personal incomes by five percent. But that’s only if the coverage expansion is actually implemented.

4. Keeping hospitals open.

For some hospitals, the consequences of rejecting Medicaid expansion is even more dire than being forced to lay off staff. Many of the hospitals serving the poorest communities can’t afford to stay operating without the funding from the expansion, including the financial boon from serving more patients who have insurance. Rural hospitals in states like Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are being forced to close. This isn’t an unexpected consequence; hospital associations have lobbied hard for Medicaid expansion over the past year, predicting that failing to implement this Obamacare provision will cause them to close some of their facilities in impoverished areas.

4 Unexpected Benefits For States That Agree To Expand Medicaid | ThinkProgress

Think progress.....Oh sure.

 

[Ibentoken]

I bet Obama's smoking again.

 

[Sarah G]

they have a Democrat as their governor....

Yes?

After Messy Battle, Virginia Legislature Rejects Obamacare Medicaid Expansion