Trade Associations Lend Support for Medicaid Expansion
Despite the resistance of Gov. Rick Perry and many other Republicans to expanding Medicaid in Texas under the Affordable Care Act, some momentum seems to be building from outside of the Capitol in support of the expansion.
Texas’ two largest health care trade associations, the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Hospital Association, have announced support for extending Medicaid coverage to low-income adults. But both organizations also say that in order for the plan to work in Texas, lawmakers here also must implement reforms that will contain costs and bring more doctors into the Medicaid program to provide care for ...
Comments (5)
Brian Shelley
Shocking! Hospital and doctor groups are for a $115 Billion increase in spending which will be heavily funneled to hospitals and doctors. So the very people who stand to gain the most financially also support the funding, what a surprise!
Michelle James
Per the non-partisan report, expansion will save the lives of 5,700 adults and 2,900 children and insure up to two million Texans over 10 years. And paying the physicians and hospitals from this funding source vs. tax payer money we now spend for unreimbursed e/r visits for uninsured is a much better option.
Scott Chase via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Business groups are also for the expansion. http://www.oakcliffchamber.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1116:oak-cliff-chamber-legislative-agenda-for-the-83rd-texas-legislature&catid=291:economic-development&Itemid=71
Brian Shelley
Re: Michelle James
Calling something non-partisan is a rhetorical gimmick to give someone's opinion more weight. In the "non-partisan" report that I have read there is no consideration for an increase in demand for doctor and hospital services, and thus higher prices for everyone already insured. The paper is so blatantly moralizing from start to finish in favor of the result he wants to reach that I can't help but suspect that his analysis is an econometric mess used to impress the idea's proponents and intimidate the opposition.
visule
Looks like a Trojan horse. How about taxing the medical groups for the initial $15b and they can recover this through the $100b windfall. Texas needs to setup this Medicaid expansion in such a way that when all the Fed money is gone, the Texas Taxpayers aren't liable for it. I have a son that does not work and he has medical issues and could really benefit, but on the other hand I hate that we have to burden the youth of America to pay the national debt on all this. the real problem not addressed by Obamacare is shaking the high cost out of health care to bring it in line with other western countries.