Those who believe in big government healthcare solutions are clearly not paying attention to how Medicaid expansion has been working out across the land.
“In Montana, Obamacare expansion is 70 percent over budget, with more than 86,000 able-bodied adults enrolled. Just 45,700 were ever supposed to sign up. In Washington, expansion is $2.8 billion over budget; enrollment has exceeded projections by more than 330,000 able-bodied adults.” Source: National Review (2-21-18) - summation of key findings from the Foundation for Government Accountability.
Nevada initially projected 78,000 new enrollees. Their current enrollment: over 220,500. New Mexico is facing a $417 million Medicaid shortfall.
Medicaid expansion is nearly $3 billion over budget in Oregon, “costing taxpayers nearly twice as much as promised so far, with nearly 200,000 more able-bodied adults signed up than projected.”
The 100 percent federal funding for the Medicaid expansion rollout covered only newly eligible enrollees, not previously eligible enrollees who were also signing up, leading to significant cost overrun burdens. Furthermore, under ObamaCare rules, the federal government’s share of that funding for newly eligible enrollees will drop to 90 percent in 2020, creating additional funding deficiencies for those states.
“ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion has been a proven disaster,” according to The Hill (3-29-18). The massive and growing cost overruns “leave less money to fund services for the truly needy, including seniors, poor children, and individuals with disabilities.” Services for “the most vulnerable” are coming under increasing pressure, and “several states are now looking for the ObamaCare exit.”
Arkansas legislators have voted overwhelmingly to “freeze enrollment and adopt work requirements for expansion enrollees. Legislators in Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, and New Hampshire have all submitted ObamaCare “work requirement waivers.” Medicaid work requirements are also under discussion in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia,” according to The Hill.
“ObamaCare expansion has unleashed a fiscal nightmare on taxpayers and prioritized welfare for able-bodied adults ahead of services for the truly needy.” State policymakers are “now looking for any escape hatches they can find – whether it be through freezing enrollment, reducing eligibility levels, or adopting common sense work requirements.”
South Dakota’s legislators should tread very carefully on this issue.
