News and Views on Politics, Policy and More
This week on The Arkansas Project Podcast: House passes Obamacare "private" option funding Rep. Hammer explains his "private" option vote Rep. Farrer reports the PO is already over spending caps Sen. Rapert says Obama is terrified of PO Rep. Mayberry compares to PO to "jumping out of a burning building" Hillary loves the PO! Sen. Key moves funding from traditional Medicaid to PO fund … [Read more...]
One of the most offensive bills that the Arkansas General Assembly passed last session was SB 821/Act 1413. This bill, which we warned the legislature about, almost seemed designed to make it more difficult for citizens to pass laws by means of ballot initiatives. Act 1413 created a new set of regulations that controlled the registration, tracking, and training of those who gathered signatures for petitions. Earlier this week, we were very pleased to see Judge McGowan’s decision to the effect … [Read more...]
You probably heard that on Tuesday the House, on its fifth attempt, approved funding for the Obamacare “private” option for the next fiscal year. Some “private”-option advocates think of Arkansas’s Medicaid expansion as a “brilliant approach,” but I imagine our readers know I’m disappointed that it passed. The Arkansas Project and the Advance Arkansas Institute have repeatedly warned over the last year that this program will create unpredictable costs and make the state increasingly dependent … [Read more...]
There has been much discussion of the position of University of Arkansas lobbyist over the last few weeks. State Senator Johnny Key has been the focus of various news reports after announcing that he would not seek re-election and instead take a shot at becoming the next U of A leech government relations expert. Recently former Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr has also made some waves after he submitted his application for the gig. (Perhaps he has a future in sales as well.) However, yet another … [Read more...]
Our guest article yesterday from Rep. Joe Farrer revealed the unanticipated costs to Arkansas taxpayers of the Obamacare-Medicaid “private” option. In short, the program is already pricier than promised -- and, despite promises that it would cost state taxpayers “nothing” in the first three years, the impact looks like it’s about to blow a hole in the state budget. Jonathan Ingram of the Foundation for Government Accountability has released a new paper that outlines the budgetary problems … [Read more...]
The following is a guest article from State Representative Joe Farrer (R-Cabot): When we passed the Private Option Medicaid expansion last year, we did so under the explicit promise that the state taxpayer would bear no costs of the Medicaid expansion for at least the first three years. But what was promised during the legislative debate and what was negotiated between the Beebe and Obama administrations are very different. The Obama administration capped federal Private Option funding with … [Read more...]
Our good friends over at Conduit For Action have released a new poll on the Obamacare “private” option. The poll was conducted last week, sampling 400 likely Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of 4.9%. According to their findings, 66% of Arkansas Republicans oppose the “Republican plan” for expanding Medicaid (a.k.a. the “private” option). Republicans who had an opinion on the "private" option opposed it by three to one. In addition, given five choices regarding the most … [Read more...]
Just a few minutes ago, Conrad Reynolds filed to run for Congress. I guess it would be more precise to say: Colonel Conrad Reynolds filed to run for Congress. Apparently, he has officially changed his name to "Colonel Conrad Reynolds," and that name will appear on Republican ballots in the Second Congressional District. Why? Presumably because voters are more likely to vote for candidates with titles. I imagine that's why his opponent, Rep. Ann Clemmer, specified her legislative affiliation … [Read more...]
