Cross-posted from the archived Media Trackers Ohio site.
President Obama’s foundering 2010 health law has found an unlikely champion in Governor John Kasich, a Republican who has abandoned all pretense of fiscal conservatism in pursuit of billions in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Medicaid expansion funding.
Here are eight of the most illogical – or simply false – arguments Gov. Kasich has made for increasing federal deficit spending by implementing a major piece of PPACA in Ohio.
“If we dont do what we should do on Medicaid, theyll be spending it in California. You count on it,” Gov. Kasich said during his February 19 State of the State address. This talking point is a complete fabrication.
“Worse, it takes $13 billion of Ohioans federal tax dollars out of our state and gives it to other states – where it will go to work helping to rev up some other states economy instead of Ohio’s,” Gov. Kasich warned of the alternative to expanding Medicaid in a February 6 RedState post.
Again, this line of argument is 100 percent false.
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to bring $13 billion of Ohios tax dollars back to Ohio to solve our problem,” Gov. Kasich said during his February 19 State of the State address.
There’s a reason this sounds too good to be true.
“We can prevent poverty through this program,” Gov. Kasich assured leaders of Ohio food banks while discussing Medicaid expansion at a February 28 meeting.
“What are we gonna do, leave em out in the street? Walk away from them, when we have a chance to help them?” – Gov. Kasich, February 19 State of the State address
“Whenever federal resources are being distributed to the states – and there’s nothing we at the state level can do to prevent that spending – then Ohioans shouldn’t be robbed of their fair share,” Gov. Kasich insisted in his February 6 RedState post.
There is something very simple Ohio can do to prevent PPACA Medicaid expansion spending: refuse to expand Medicaid.
“While a complex decision, this reform not only helps improve the health of vulnerable Ohioans and frees up local funds for better mental health and addiction services, but it also helps prevent increases to health care premiums and potentially devastating impacts to local hospitals,” according to the February 4 document summarizing Kasich’s biennial budget.
Most Ohio hospitals would net millions each year even without the charity care offsets PPACA may – or may not – begin phasing out next year as an inducement to expand Medicaid.
“Additionally, it avoids leaving Ohioans federal tax dollars on the table and keeps the federal government from simply giving them away to other states,” Gov. Kasich’s February 4 budget highlights document claimed. Like other arguments about bringing “Ohio’s” tax money “back” to Ohio so “other states” don’t get it, this is a false choice.
There is no “table” covered in stacks of “Ohioans’ federal tax dollars,” because all PPACA Medicaid expansion fundingis new deficit spending.