House Hopefuls Split By Party On Medicaid

EVENTS ORGANIZER COLLINS SAYS DECISION ‘IS IMPOSSIBLE’ NOW

All three Republican candidates for Arkansas House of Representative seats in the Fayetteville- Farmington area, speaking on the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, mentioned President Barack Obama.

Surprisingly, none of the trio uttered the name of their party’s standard bearer – Mitt Romney.

The event, held Sept. 8, was to showcase all six of the candidates’ views on the proposed expansion of the Arkansas Medicaid program. While, predictably, the candidates split along party lines — with one exception — state Rep. Charlie Collins, the incumbent Republican in House District 84.

Giving a long, convoluted answer, he ran out of time before saying if he would vote on the expansion of Medicaid before the Arkansas legislature in the next session?” Following the forum, Collins says his shortest answer would be “…it is impossible now to know….” Collins says the outcome of the upcoming November election might make any answer he would give a moot answer.

Democratic candidate Adella Gray, who opposes Rep. Collins for House District 84 House, was firm and compassionate in her “Yes,” to support the expansion of Medicaid.

“It’s the right thing to do, just look in your heart and you will see it is, too,” she said. Gray noted that 60 percent of all bankruptcy filings can be traced to health care expense issues, and more than 200,000 adult in our state have no health insurance or are underinsured. Her voice dropped to whisper, saying — “Poor people need health care.”

Rep. Collins did not back up his two house nominees, Paul Graham of House District 85 or Brian Scott of House District 86. Both said “No” to expanding Medicaid in Arkansas.

Conversely, the Democrats attending the panel, state Rep. Greg Leding, seeking reelection to District 84; David Whitaker of House District 85 and Gray, candidate for House District 86, kept their answers confined to the stated issue at hand — refusing to try to interject the national health care debate or national political parties into their answers.

Rep. Leding, proclaimed, “Yes,” that he would vote to expand Medicaid on the state level. Rep. Leding gave a rapidfire delivery of state statistics supporting the expansion. He also peppered remarks with possible escape clause that would let the state off the hook, should the federal agencies trim the Medicaid program in the future.

GOP candidate Brian Scott, who opposes Rep. Leding for House Dist. 84, says covering the current $ 400 million Medicaid shortfall in Arkansas is a lot of tax money. He also says expanding the state program could, potentially, down the road, bankrupt the state. Scott then raised the “fraud, waste and abuse issue,” but provided little proof either by case or cost of these allegations.

The two candidates seeking House District 85, as expected, differed on the Medicaid expansion.

Democratic nominee David Whitaker of Fayetteville warned about federal Medicaid dollars being sent away to Texas, California, Pennsylvania or other states if Arkansas legislators did not expand the program. “How can someone spout a Family Values mantra when their neighboring families in this state can’t afford to see a physician ( without the Medicaid expansion),” Whitaker said.

GOP candidate Paul Graham of Farmington: “I have got to say ‘ No’ at this time.” Graham said the state needs to figure out funding on the projected $ 400 million Medicaid shortfall, before any consideration of expansion of Medicaid for the state. “We have to improve the inefficiencies in the system.” Graham also said he did not want to leave a longterm payback to his children’s generation.

This issue split along party lines — who would have thought that?