Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Does No One Want to Lead In This State?
« An Illustrative Example of Beshear's Utter Failure As Governor | Main | McConnell Is Wrong On Commission To Reduce National Debt »House leaders are proposing a daring budget maneuver that would strip $227 million in General Fund money from the state’s Medicaid program for the next budget year in hopes that the federal government will approve additional stimulus funds for the program starting in 2011.
The federal stimulus money, which has helped keep Kentucky’s $5.4 billion plan in the black, expires Dec. 31, the midpoint of the budget year.
Advocates Tuesday were stunned to learn that the House is considering taking state money from Medicaid — with no guarantee Congress will provide extra money for the health plan, which covers the poor and disabled.
“It’s a scary proposal,’’ said Sheila Schuster, a longtime advocate for the disabled. “It makes me extremely nervous to predicate a budget on a program that affects so many lives on the presumption that the federal government is going to continue additional funding.”
Schuster pointed out that the gamble could leave the program short as much as $1 billion in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. If Kentucky winds up $227 million short in state money for Medicaid, it also would forfeit matching money from the federal government, which provides the greatest share of the state’s Medicaid funds.
The proposal comes as House leaders work to draft a budget plan for the next two fiscal years after rejecting the one offered by Gov. Steve Beshear, who based his on about $780 million in new revenue from expanded gambling he hoped lawmakers would approve.
I don't care about the merits or detractions of the plan. All I know is the plan doesn't address the real problem. Our state is spending too much money! Hoping that the federal government will bail us out again is almost as silly as Beshear hoping for unicorns. The bottom line is we need to SPEND LESS MONEY.
It is really frustrating that no one will lead on this issue. Everyone is looking for some gimmick rather than making the tough choices on what we shouldn't be funding. It really is embarrassing to watch.
