Health Care Bill Adds to Ohio Budget Woes
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 By Marc KilmerIn a Viewpoint I wrote a little while ago, I raised a concern about the burden the health care legislation making its way through Congress would impose on state taxpayers. While health insurance regulation and Medicare are receiving the bulk of the attention in this debate, all the legislation passed by House and Senate committees contain expansions of Medicaid, which pays for the health care of the poor and near-poor. Medicaid is a joint state/federal program and it is a significant portion of the state budget. Expanding this program will cost state taxpayers dearly.
The Columbus Dispatch has a story today about just how much that cost may be:
As Ohio officials try to close an $850 million budget hole, the key U.S. Senate health-care overhaul package could cost Ohio $922 million in additional Medicaid spending in the plan’s first five years.
Taxpayers should note that this figure was calculated using the assumption the federal government would pay 95% of the cost of the newly-expanded Medicaid. Currently the federal government pays 60% of Ohio’s Medicaid cost. It is highly unlikely that the feds will shoulder 95% of the cost in the final bill or, if they do, that this number will last more than a few years.
Ohio taxpayers should be aware of just how expensive this health care “reform” legislation will be to them not only at the federal level, but also at the state level.
Tags: Health care, Medicaid
October 8th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
According to the latest poll from The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, 69% of Ohioans support a public health care option. If nearly one out of seven people want it, why are the politicians fighting it? The poll also showed that 65% of Ohioans say doctors should be paid more to prevent and manage chronic diseases than per procedure. The Health Foundation is a non-partisan group, and the Ohio Health Issues Poll is done by the University of Cincinnati.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I haven’t looked at how the poll frames the public option (or, more accurately, the government option), but I doubt many who answered the poll’s question truly understand the implications of a government-run health insurance company. People may like the idea of a “public option,” but if I doubt they’d like the actual effects of a government-run insurance program.
The politicians who are opposing this plan in the face of supposedly strong support from the public are doing a service to the nation. Not everything that is popular is good public policy.
October 19th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
“‘The Columbus Dispatch has a story today about just how much that cost may be:
As Ohio officials try to close an $850 million budget hole, the key U.S. Senate health-care overhaul package could cost Ohio $922 million in additional Medicaid spending in the plan’s first five years.’”
Guess what, Marc? If Medicare for all is not passed, which I doubt it will, taxpayers from Ohio and around the nation will still pay for people who go to the emergency room for their health care.
“The politicians who are opposing this plan in the face of supposedly strong support from the public are doing a service to the nation. Not everything that is popular is good public policy.”
A LOT of people are filing for medical bankruptcy because the insurance companies cheat them out of coverage. Or stall to provide coverage (even though they have collected premiums for years, in some cases) and wait for people to die just so they won’t have to provide coverage.
I hope and pray you, Marc, never find yourself with a chronic disease but without proper health insurance. I hope and pray you never have to file for medical bankruptcy because you or a loved one became sick and your insurance company decides not to cover your treatment(s).
Not passing a single-payer, Medicare for all public option is inhumane and immoral.