Governor Jim Gibbons of Nevada is talking about Opting out of Medicaid. Saying that the state would struggle to pay the unfunded costs.
From LasVegasNow.com:
Rhea Gertken of Nevada Legal Services agrees. She believes dropping Medicaid may not be the best option. “For some people, it’s a lifeline,” Gertken said. “It’s astounding really to think that we would do away with a really huge program on the hopes that the new health care bill would cover the same people.”
But, the conservative think-tank Nevada Policy Research Institute believes otherwise. “The mandated expansion on Medicaid would impose a new unfunded mandate on Nevada,” NPRI Fiscal Policy Analyst Geoffrey Lawrence said. Lawrence says depending on the details of a health care reform bill, the state could save serious money. Plus, he says people would still get the health care they need. “Individuals currently on Medicaid would be eligible for… federal subsidies. So, they could go out and buy their own personal insurance plan,” he said.
You will notice the vague references to federal subsidies without telling specifically where or how these could be obtained. Much less what qualifications would be required to obtain these subsidies. –Typical elitist Neo-Cons.
The governor and his cronies are among those people who have never had to worry about paying the bills. And as such, have no idea what it’s like to try struggle to afford medications and doctors visits.
As far as buying personal insurance goes; what insurance company under the current rules will cover pre-existing conditions at prices normal people can afford?
Trust me. This bit about forcing insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions is mostly rhetoric. No matter how well intentioned some politicians are, by the time the insurance companies’ bought and paid for politicians are done negotiating and folding in exemptions, nobody will be any better off than they are now.
