News and Views on Politics, Policy and More
Last week, the campaign arm of the White House -- “Organizing For Action” -- sent out an email asking folks to “join Team Obamacare!” All you have to do is submit your personal information and they’ll send you a FREE bumper sticker! (Think of the information-submission part as a dry run for what lies ahead.) Assuming you can still afford to drive a car under Obamanomics, that’s a swell deal. Oh, and I forgot to mention that to join “Team Obamacare,” you have to sign a petition … [Read more...]
My friend Greg George has a great new piece up at Watchdog Wire. His home state of Michigan is currently embattled in a Medicaid expansion debate, much like we just had here in Arkansas. But Greg sums it up perhaps better than I ever did. Expanding Medicaid is devastating to those currently in the program, will not improve health outcomes, and puts more government between patients and their doctors: The main way states control increased state spending for Medicaid is by slashing reimbursements … [Read more...]
You’ll probably remember that the “private option” – the Medicaid expansion that our legislature approved at the end of the session – was sold to the public on the theory that it would save money through market competition. Now that Arkansas legislators have voted for one of the biggest expansions of our state government in history, the facts are starting to come out. “Private option” providers won’t be providing policies on the Obamacare exchange – instead, they’ll be … [Read more...]
There’s been a lot of gossip swirling around the vote to expand Medicaid in Arkansas. For example, how did proponents of expansion pick up 8 votes from Monday (when the bill first failed) to Tuesday when it passed? There’s been a lot of talk about bribery or extortion -- Rep. Nate Bell even went to the House floor and spoke of “threats” that had been leveled against House members. Rep. Bruce Westerman, in a fiery speech, asked members if their votes were worth “30 pieces of silver?” … [Read more...]
Upon rereading David Ramsey’s piece on the genesis of the “private option,” it’s hard not to notice the flood of admiring compliments he bestows on the intellect of its creators. They are “clever,” “smart,” “open-minded,” and “pragmatic.” As they work in tandem with Governor Mike Beebe, they are “thoughtful and nuanced.” In particular, Senator Jonathan Dismang’s “comfort with getting into the weeds on policy details” makes him “open to pragmatic … [Read more...]
We are proud to present to you the inaugural episode of The Arkansas Project Podcast. We are hoping to produce one show a week to keep you up-to-date on what's going on at the capitol. In the near future, the show will be available for download in the iTunes store, but for now, you can enjoy it here on the blog. For your reading pleasure, here are the stories we mention in the show today: Carter quote on "private" option opponents IRS allegedly seized 60 million medical … [Read more...]
At the Saline County TEA Party meeting last week, Rep. Andy Mayberry told his constituents that the struggle over the private option made him feel like he was being forced to jump out of the third story of a burning building: There’s no way, if I just stand there, that I’m going to survive. I’m gonna burn. There’s a window over here that I can choose to jump out of and I might die in that fall. I know I’m going to die if I stay there and don’t do anything. But I might just survive … [Read more...]
David Ramsey of the Arkansas Times regularly distinguished himself this session with his thorough coverage of the debate over Medicaid expansion. His account of the creation of the “private option” -- perhaps the biggest increase in the size and scope of state government in my lifetime -- was educational and gripping. But occasionally his work told us more about David Ramsey than it did about Medicaid expansion. One of the areas where his article fell short was in his discussion of the … [Read more...]
