[StBernard] Bobby Jindal: The liberal left's misplaced priorities on Medicaid expansion

[Westley Annis]

Bobby Jindal: The liberal left's misplaced priorities on Medicaid expansion


What does MoveOn.org have against individuals with disabilities?

On first glance, it may appear an odd question to ask. But when it comes to
the liberal organization's new ad campaign attempting to persuade states to
expand their Medicaid programs, it's a sad but true statement.

Here are the facts. "Obamacare" contains a massive expansion of Medicaid.
Until recently, the program had provided health coverage targeted towards
low-income parents, children, and individuals with disabilities. But
President Obama expanded Medicaid to include millions more Americans - the
vast majority of whom are childless adults of working age.

The federal government provides funds to states matching their Medicaid
contributions. But "Obamacare" includes a twist: The law provides a richer
federal match for states' coverage of childless adults than Medicaid
programs receive for covering individuals with disabilities. That's a case
of skewed priorities if I ever heard of one.

I truly believe in a government safety net. But a vast expansion of
government-run health care will jeopardize the care of the most vulnerable
in our society. With more than half a million individuals with disabilities
already on waiting lists for Medicaid services nationwide, we need to
protect access for people with disabilities.

That's why my proposed budget for this year directs $26 million in new
funding to home and community-based services for elderly individuals and
persons with disabilities. We're focused on improving the quality of care,
and giving individuals with disabilities more choices. We've already
increased the number of individuals receiving home and community-based care
by 5,000, and this year's funding increase will ultimately reduce our
waiting list for services by over 4,000.

But liberals would rather our state use those resources to participate in
"Obamacare's" Medicaid expansion. Liberal groups like MoveOn.org won't say
one word about caring for individuals with disabilities, or how "Obamacare"
prioritizes coverage of childless adults ahead of the most vulnerable-they
just want to intimidate states into accepting "Obamacare's" massive new
spending programs.

Likewise, one of my state's senators, Mary Landrieu, has decried my decision
to focus on targeting resources toward individuals with disabilities rather
than participating in "Obamacare's" Medicaid expansion. But why did she
support legislation that discriminates against individuals with
disabilities, by prioritizing coverage for childless How would she fill that
"Landrieu Gap?"

In the past six years, we've accomplished quite a lot to reform our health
care system in Louisiana. We've privatized our antiquated charity hospital
system, creating new private-public partnerships that have reinvigorated
community health, and provided new services to low-income individuals across
the state. We've revamped our Medicaid program, now called Bayou Health, to
lead to better integrated and more coordinated care. .

We still have more work to do to improve health care in Louisiana. But I
won't accept lectures in compassion from those who would expand our safety
net beyond comprehension, and jeopardize the care of our most vulnerable
citizens in the process.