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StumbleSUN EDITORIAL:
Expanding Medicaid
Nevada officials should support Reid’s plan to provide coverage for more people
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 | 2:08 a.m.
When Sen. Max Baucus unveiled his plan to overhaul health care last week, it caused a stir in Nevada. The plan called for expanding Medicaid to cover more uninsured, low-income residents, and it would have made Nevada responsible for up to 18 percent of the cost of the expanded coverage.
Nevada officials complained, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he wouldn’t bring the bill to the floor without changes. This week he came through. Under a deal Reid worked out with Baucus, the federal government would, for the first five years of the program, pick up the increased costs in Nevada and three other states hit hard by the recession.
Still, as Lisa Mascaro and David McGrath Schwartz reported in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, Nevada leaders aren’t convinced that this is a good deal.
Stacy Woodbury, Gov. Jim Gibbons’ deputy chief of staff, said the “state does not have sufficient funds for the current state budget, much less an expansion of Medicaid.”
Once again, the governor’s office is missing the point. Reid’s plan puts off a major increase for five years, at which time the state will hopefully be in a significantly better financial situation. As well, an improved economy, with lower unemployment, would mean more people on private insurance and off Medicaid.
In the meantime, providing coverage through Medicaid could ease health care costs for Nevadans. Hospitals, for example, build the costs of treating the uninsured and those who cannot pay into the prices they charge insurance companies. The companies then pass the costs on to consumers, who end up paying higher premiums.
Jon Sasser, a Reno attorney and lobbyist who has pushed to expand Medicaid, called it the cheapest way to cover people.
A new Census Bureau report shows that 20 percent of Nevadans, including children, are without any type of medical insurance. Allowing that many people to fend for themselves, driving up medical costs, doesn’t make sense.
Reid’s plan would be a cost-effective way to get more people covered. Congress and state officials should support it.
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The Sun's and Democrat's game plan:
Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...Spend, spend, spend...deficits, deficits, deficits...tax, tax, tax...
"Reid's plan puts off a major increase for five years, at which time the state will hopefully be in a significantly better financial situation"
And who is paying for this?
Who is Harry Reid getting to pay for this?
"...at which time the state will hopefully be in a significantly better financial situation..."
LOL - with the Obama / Reid jobless Stimulus
Harry Reid; have people noticed that in the last month Harry has actually been acting like Nevadas' Senator? He's actually getting his name in the paper almost daily.
Now his plan is to cover Nevadans by letting the government pick up the extra cost on medicaid for the next 5 years and then when the ecnomy is fixed we will pay for the extra costs.
What is Harry using an ouiji board now? He's got a crystal ball?
First of all he's not lowering the cost he's just shifting the responsibilty of the costs to another party. In 5 years I'm sure the cost of medicaid will rise and at that time we the people will be responsible for the costs as well as the increases.
Right now, betting that our economy in five years will be better is taking a chance most citizens can't afford to take. I haven't seen any new jobs(nationwide) putting the unemployed back to work. Without new jobs, how is our economy going to make a comeback?
If we could see an effort by our politicians to bring back our manufacturing jobs we might learn how to start trusting them again. Why would big business want to keep the jobs over there to begin with? They aren't making the profits here as they thought they would because a majority of our people can't afford the goods or people want to save their money because they dont know what tomorrow will bring.
Our politicians shouldn't gamble with our citizens future. It isn't the right thing to do.
Maybe Harry should attend some gamblers anonymous classes, he's been living in Nevada too long.
Yea, just wait five years...
and then pay, pay, pay...
Actually, this is what needs to happen as part of health care reform, except that the Federal Government needs to step up to the plate and fund it completely...
Harry Reid wants to take care of his illegal immigrant friends because they will be the ones that will vote illegally and get him elected in the next election. He doesn't care about any of the rest of us...he is a dink.
What happens to all the other states that take on the expansion of Medicaid without the special deal Reid wants for Nevada? Those states are forced to increase public spending and thus either raise taxes or cut other services like education or police.
The result is making the populations that we depend on result in LESS discretionary spending. I thought we wanted these states to make a more productive economy so they would return to Las Vegas. The Reid plan guarantees we will have fewer and fewer visitors spending less and less as their states take more and more in taxes.
This is election year grandstanding without real results for the nation or Nevada.
This is an example that the Obama Administration does not really want to reform the health care system. They want a total takeover of the health care system to fit into their socialist agenda.
If the Obama administration wanted to actually reform the health care system, one of the first steps would be make Medicaid available to more people that need it. AND PAY FOR IT, NOT SHOVE IT OFF ON THE STATES.
The talk radio birthers, birchers and bigots are all up in arms about people going to jail for not buying medical insurance. What happens if people don't buy auto insurance or worker's comp insurance?
Most of the local talk hosts work for the republican party or the Nevada policy institute, or neo-Nazi groups.
mred is back with all of his name calling and hate..
Dah... If you don't own a car, you do not have to buy insurance.
The people who are upset are those 15 million who can afford health and don't buy it because of their age or being blessed with good health.
Way to go Harry, you came through for us again.
Harry is to Obama as Monica was to Bill.
Back under the desk, Harry.