[StBernard] WILL OBAMA LISTEN TO GOVERNORS?

[Westley Annis]

WILL OBAMA LISTEN TO GOVERNORS?
As National Governors Association Meet s In DC, A Look At How Obama's Health
Care Experiment Will Break Already Overstressed State Budgets
 
View This Research Briefing At GOP.com
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8771> 
 
REPUBLICANS WANT GOVERNORS INCLUDED IN OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ...
 
RGA Chairman, Gov. Haley Barbour, Urges Obama To "Include Governors In The
Health Care Summit" To Make Sure That Legislation That Could "Be Untenable
To State Governments." "Republican Governors Association leadership called
on the White House today to include governors in the health care summit
scheduled for Thursday, February 25th. 'If the White House is truly
interested in moving health care reform forward, they need to invite
governors to the health care summit,' said RGA Chairman Haley Barbour.
"After seeing the bipartisan reaction from governors to the previous
healthcare bills, it simply makes sense for the White House to seek input
from governors before unveiling new legislation that could again be
untenable to stat e governments." (Republican Governors Association, "RGA
Leadership: Include Governors In Health Care Summit," Press Release
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8770> , 2/19/10)
 
House GOP Leaders Boehner, Cantor Ask White House To Include Governors At
Summit. "Will the President be inviting officials and lawmakers from the
states to participate in this discussion? As you may know, legislation has
been introduced in at least 36 state legislatures, similar to the proposal
just passed by the Democratic-controlled Virginia State Senate, providing
that no individual may be compelled to purchase health insurance.
Additionally, governors of both parties have raised concerns about the
additional costs that will be passed along to states under both the House
and Senate bills."(Reps. John Boehner and Eric Cantor, Letter To White House
Chief Of Staff Rahm Emanuel
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8768> , 2/8/10)
 
BECAUSE OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE BILLS PUSH COSTS ONTO THE STATES
 
States Will Be Burdened With $26 Billion In Unfunded Mandates From Medicaid
That Would Force Them To Increase Taxes. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To
Senator Harry Reid <http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8766>
, 12/19/09)
 
States Already Making Cuts To Medicaid, "Even As Democrats Push To Add 15
Million People To The Rolls." "Facing relentless fiscal pressure and
exploding demand for government health care, virtually every state is making
or considering substantial cuts in Medicaid, even as Democrats push to add
15 million people to the rolls. Because they are temporarily barred from
reducing eligibility, states have been left to cut 'optional benefits,' like
dental and vision care, and reduce payments to doctors and other health care
providers." (Kevin Sack & Robert Pear, "States Consider Medicaid Cuts As Use
Grows," The New York Times
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8764> , 2/19/10)
 
Medicaid Programs In Every State Increased Last Year For First Time In
Decade. "Every state's Medicaid program saw an increase for the first time
since the early 1990s. The enrollment growth reached double digits in 32
states. The increases ranged widely from less than 1 percent in Rhode Island
to 20.4 percent in Maryland. State Medicaid directors in 29 states said they
were considering cutbacks ...." (Jeffrey Young, "Recession Drove Millions On
To Medicaid Rolls," The Hill's "Briefing Room" Blog
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8761> , 2/19/10)
 
AND EVEN DEM GOVERNORS TELLING OBAMA TO LISTEN, NOT USE THEM AS PIGGY BANKS
 
Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-TN) Calls Dems' Health Care Experiment "Mother Of All
Unfunded Mandates." "[Bredesen] feared Congress was about to bestow 'the
mother of all unfunded mandates.' 'Medicaid is a poor vehicle for expanding
coverage ... It's a 45-year-old system originally designed for poor women
and their children. It's not health care reform to dump more money into
Medicaid.'" (Kevin Sack & Robert Pear, "Governors Fear Medicaid Costs In
Health Plan," The New York Times
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8767> , 7/20/09)
 

*	Bredesen: "Nobody's Going To Put Their State Into Bankruptcy Or
Their Education System In The Tank For It." "I can't think of a worse time
for this bill to be coming ... nobody's going to put their state into
bankruptcy or their education system in the tank for it." (Shailagh Murray,
"States Resist Medicaid Growth," The Washington Post
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8760> , 10/5/09)

 
Gov. David Paterson (D-NY) "Deeply Troubled" By Dems' Bill. "After the
Senate passed the bill in a Christmas Eve vote, Paterson said the expansion
would leave New York $1 billion in the lurch ... '[I] am deeply troubled
that the Senate version of the bill worsens what was already an inequitable
situation for New York and I will continue to be an advocate on behalf of
New Yorkers to ensure we are treated fairly by this critical federal
legislation,' Paterson said in a statement." (Alex Isenstadt, "Blue State
Govs. Rip Senate Health Bill," Politico
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8759> , 12/29/09)
 
Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA): "I Don't Think It's An Accounting Trick, I Think
It's An Unfunded Mandate ... We Just Don't Have The Wherewithal To Absorb
That Without Some New Revenue Source ..."(CNBC's "Squawk Box," 9/3/09)
 
Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D-WY) Says Dems' Bill Not "Cost-Effective Or
Efficient." "Freudenthal said expanding Medicaid may be a quick way to get
coverage for the uninsured, but it's far from the most cost- effective or
efficient ... 'If you have 47 million people who don't have coverage in the
country, and your goal is to get coverage for those people, you can't come
to us and say that it's not going to cost society anything.'" ("Medicaid
Expansion May Be Budget Buster," The Wyoming Tribune Eagle
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8757> , 7/27/09)
 
Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA) Concerned That "If We Try To Cost-Shift To
The States We're Not Going To Be In A Position To Pick Up The Tab..."(Kevin
Sack And Robert Pear, "Governors Fear Medicaid Costs In Health Plan," The
New York Times <http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8767> ,
7/20/09)
 
Gov. Joe Manchin (D-WV) Says "Under No Conditions Can We Take Unfunded
Mandates. You Can't ... Put A $100 Billion Back On The States To Pick
Up."("Governor Manchin Joins Counterparts In Mississippi," [West Virginia]
Metro News <http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8769> ,
7/20/09)
 
Gov. Bev Perdue (D-NC) Says An "Absolute Deal Breaker For Me As Governor Is
A Federal Plan That Shifts Costs To The States." ("Perdue: Don't Give States
The Bill," [Raleigh, NC] News & Observer
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8765> , 7/21/09)
 
Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM): "We Can't Afford That, And That's Not
Acceptable." ("Govs Resist Added Federal Expenses From Congress," The
Associated Press <http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8763> ,
7/19/09)
 
Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO) Concerned With Whether Dems "Have Fully Figured Out
A Revenue Stream That Would Cover The Costs, And That If They Don't Have All
The Dollars Accounted For It Will Fall On The States ..." (Kevin Sack And
Robert Pear, "Governors Fear Medicaid Costs In Health Plan," The New York
Times <http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8767> , 7/20/09)
 
Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) Dems' Bill Just "Another Situation Where The
Federal Government Says You Must Do X And You Must Pay For It."("Many
Governors Against Health Care Bill, Label It Unfunded Mandate," Fox News
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8756> , 7/19/09)
 
Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH) Says States "Are Not In A Position To Accept
Additional Medicaid Responsibilities" From Dems' Bill. "Still, Strickland
warned on a recent visit to Washington that 'the states, with our financial
challenges right now, are not in a position to accept additional Medicaid
responsibilities.' ... he added that if Medicaid is expanded, he hopes to
'see the federal government assume the greater portion of the costs, if not
the total costs.'" ("Expansion Of Medicaid Could Impose Costs On Ohio," The
Columbus Dispatch <http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8773> ,
10/7/09)
 
Gov. John Lynch (D-NH) Did Not Sign A Letter Supporting Health Care Reform
Because It Failed To "Address Concerns Regarding Potential Cost Shifting To
The States." "Last week, Democratic governors sent a letter to congressional
leaders proclaiming that 'the status quo is no longer an option' and urging
passage of a healthcare bill this year. ... [N]ew Hampshire Gov. John Lynch,
he did not sign because the letter failed to 'address concerns regarding
potential cost shifting to the states,' said Colin Manning, a spokesman for
the governor." ("Obama Finds Support Outside Party And Washington For
Healthcare Plan," Los Angeles Times
<http://link.sc.states.gop.com?164-1472-1722-25548-8758> , 10/7/09)