Medicaid Expansion

Texans will still pay even though state refuses to participate

Whether or not you are happy with President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care and patient Protection Act—and, to be clear, we are not—one thing is for certain: States that refused to expand the Medicaid program under the act’s provisions will lose billions in federal funding in the coming years. Texas is among those states. But wait, there’s more. And it’s not good. Not only will states lose money—in Texas alone, it will amount to more than double what the state gets in federal highway dollars—but residents will pay to fund Medicaid expansion in those states that do take the funds.

That’s because the money for Medicaid expansion comes from general revenue—federal taxes people all across the nation have to pay.

Another thing. Under Obamacare, expanded Medicaid would cover families with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level. That’s about $32,499 for a family of four.

In Texas, some of those folks would find coverage under the national health care exchange—provided the Obamacare Website ever gets fixed. But some will opt to pay the fine—or tax as the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly held—instead of buying insurance.

So where will they go for their care? The same place they have always used—the hospital emergency room.

Currently hospitals receive federal funds to help make up for lost revenue from those who use their services and cannot pay. The rest is passed on to those who can pay.

The public’s share is going up in states that refused to expand Medicaid. The federal funding for uninsured patients will be cut across the country. But hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid will be able to make up most—and possibly even more—of the difference through the larger pool of Medicaid-covered patients.

So Texans will be losing federal funds, paying more for hospital care and will be paying for expanded Medicaid programs in other states

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas has the nation’s highest rate of residents without health insurance. But Gov. Rick Perry and the Republicancontrolled Legislature remain opposed to Medicaid expansion. We want to know what you think. Should Texas exand the Medicaid program, or are the governor and Legislature right in their refusal to allow Texas to participate? Send a one-sentence response (50 words maximum) to opinion@texarkanagazette. com by Wednesday, Dec. 11. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will tabulate the results and print them in next Friday’s paper. We will also print as many of the responses as space allows.

Last Week’s Question:

Last week’s Friday poll question concerned Black Friday, the nation’s busiest shopping day. Did you join in the shopping frenzy? Or did you stay away far away from the retail crush on this most popular of shopping days? The voting was light—maybe most people were out shopping. In any case, one reader said stay far away. Here is the reader’s comment: Regarding Black Friday, are you kidding? I hate shopping. I stay as far away from the mall as possible. My neighbor couldn’t even entice me with Black Friday coupons. —H.C., Texarkana, Texas