And Another Republican Governor Embraces ObamaCare's Medicaid Expansion

Yesterday we covered how Arkansas Republicans went along with ObamaCare, today another GOP Governor drinks the Kool-Aid.

Et tu, Mike Pence?

More than a year in the making, HIP 2.0, as his staff has nicknamed it, would replace traditional Medicaid for all non-disabled Hoosiers ages 19 to 64 with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

If accepted by the Obama administration, it would expand coverage to an additional 350,000 Hoosiers who now lack a viable health insurance option, the governor's staff estimates.

...

f approved, the move could bring an additional $17.3 billion in federal funds to the state over 10 years to provide coverage to low-income Hoosiers now without insurance.

Indiana would have to increase its Medicaid spending by 1.3 percent, or $537 million over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. That would be funded through existing state cigarette tax revenue and the use of a new hospital assessment fee adopted in 2011.

Pence's proposal would expand the state's current, less robust Healthy Indiana Plan. It was created in 2008 as a pilot program and covers about 45,000 people who earn too much to qualify for Indiana's traditional Medicaid program. But it has an enrollment cap and has been criticized by many for not reaching all of the low-income citizens who lack health insurance.

They are taxing hospitals in order to up the reimbursement rate they pay to...doctors and hospitals. Of course that makes no sense but by doing that they get a 2 to 1 match from the feds.

So now we all get to pay for Indiana health insurance plan!

Here's a sample of other problems with the Pence ObamaCare plan.

Gov. Pence’s proposal creates a new entitlement for able-bodied adults without children. Although a small number of childless adults previously qualified for the Healthy Indiana Plan, their enrollment was always subject to available funds from other Medicaid savings initiatives. The program capped the number of childless adults who could enroll at 36,500. Gov. Pence’s new plan turns that small, limited program into a massive new entitlement for childless adults. More than 284,000 able-bodied childless adults (and 91,000 parents) will become eligible for Medicaid expansion, an increase of nearly 700%. And unlike the Healthy Indiana Plan, there is no cap on enrollment, obligating the state to provide benefits to those individuals regardless of the availability of funds.

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Gov. Pence’s proposal replaces a limited benefit package with ObamaCare benefits. The Healthy Indiana Plan’s benefit package had previously been approved by the federal government and is limited in nature. It does not meet ObamaCare’s standard of “benchmark equivalent” coverage and does not offer all the benefits as traditional Medicaid, including maternity coverage and non-emergency medical transportation. Additionally, the Healthy Indiana Plan has annual and lifetime limits on benefits. Gov. Pence’s proposal replaces this limited benefit package with more robust ObamaCare benefits, losing the design flexibility Indiana had previously secured. In fact, Pence’s “Plus” plan covers additional benefits not even required by ObamaCare, such as vision and dental.

Yes, this will be sold as "Not ObamaCare" but it's only happening because of ObamaCare and the Obama administration is set to approve it and you know how much they love "market based reforms" and "patientcentric" programs.

Obama, like all liberals, wants people hooked on government programs and he's willing to let Republicans play around a little bit as long as more people become dependent on the government. GOP office holders are among those most addicted to government programs.

Oh and one other unfortunate thing...we should all remember Medicaid DOES NOT WORK.

posted by DrewM. at 12:32 PM

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