Gov. Deal Comes Out Against Medicaid Expansion
Governor Nathan Deal says he’s not in favor of expanding the state Medicaid rolls under President Obama’s federal health reform law.
With Georgia’s Medicaid program already facing massive deficits, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson says the state simply can’t afford it.
“Any dollar that now goes extra into Medicaid is a dollar that comes out of public safety, out of our classrooms, out of road and transportation networks. We have a finite pie here and we’ve got tough decisions to make already.”
Speaking to reporters at the Republican National Convention, Governor Deal came out against the expansion despite previously stating a decision wouldn’t be made until after the November election.
Robinson says that’s still the case, but he reiterated Deal’s position, arguing an expansion would exacerbate Medicaid’s issues.
“You don’t fix an unsustainable problem by making it even more unsustainable. This adds on expenses on top of shortfalls,” said Robinson. “We don’t have the money in the state budget to cover our current expenses in Medicaid before the population is expanded.”
Medicaid is the joint federal-state healthcare program for the needy. In a ruling issued this summer, the Supreme Court allowed states to opt out of the coming Medicaid expansion, a part of the health reform overhaul projected to add more than 600,000 Georgians to the program.
Health advocates concerned about Georgia’s high uninsured rate say the expansion is a critical step forward.
Linda Lowe, a former health planner and current lobbyist, says without the expansion, Georgians would continue paying the bulk of healthcare costs for the uninsured.
“It’s estimated that each family with insurance pays an extra $1,000 a year to cover the costs of people who don’t have insurance because it all gets built into the price of medical care. There’s no way around it right now.”
Under the health reform law, the federal government would pay the full cost of the expansion for the first three years and about 90 percent thereafter. If the expansion proves unworkable, states would have the option to opt-out at any time.
But Robinson says the governor isn’t buying it.
“We should be leery of any promises by the federal government that it’s going to pay its share,” said Robinson. “Once these enrollees are on Medicaid, no one’s going to kick them off. There’s never going to be an end to it. And the state tax burden can grow exponentially paying for that population.”
Deal is now among several Republican governors, including Rick Perry of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, in voicing opposition to the expansion.
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