Dems’ Current Plan for Medicaid Puts It “On the Road to Meltdown”
March 31, 2011
FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Jason Altmire (PA-04), John Barrow (GA-12), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Dan Boren (OK-02), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Ben Chandler (KY-06), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Jim Costa (CA-20), Mark Critz (PA-12), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Joe Donnelly (IN-02), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Martin Heinrich (NM-01), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Maurice Hinchey (NY-22), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Tim Holden (PA-17), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Jay Inslee (WA-01), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-10), Dale Kildee (MI-05), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Brad Miller (NC-13), Bill Owens (NY-23), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-13), John Tierney (MA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-05), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), Anthony Weiner (NY-09), David Wu (OR-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)
Shuler’s Current Plan for Medicaid Puts It “On the Road to Meltdown”
North Carolina Democrat’s Budget Plan Leaves Medicaid Broken
Washington — Heath Shuler continues to stand alongside the Democrat budget plan as presented by President Obama, which prominently ignores the need to strengthen a Medicaid system that is reaching the breaking point. Even several of Shuler’s fellow Democrats have often pointed to the rigid federal regulation and unfunded mandates that place unreasonable burdens on struggling state governments. Despite this, Shuler continues to stand with the overly-timid Democrat budget plan which would let Medicaid continue toward a catastrophe.
“Heath Shuler continues to demonstrate that he would rather stand in solidarity with his Democrat leaders in D.C. and ignore the very real problems facing his constituents back home,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Even Shuler’s fellow Democrats have called for action to address the unfunded mandates and burdensome regulations associated with Medicaid, which place increasingly large burdens on their states. This paints a stark contrast between Shuler’s priorities in D.C. and the needs of actual middle-class families in North Carolina.”
The Democrats’ budget proposal is drawing criticism for ignoring the increasing problems with Medicaid:
“President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2012 landed with a thud Monday, laying out short- and long-term tax and spending plans that disappointed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The proposal was a remarkably tame response to Washington’s fiscal problems, not the bold statement about belt-tightening that the White House had suggested was coming. Yet the biggest shortcoming is that it all but ignored the most important long-term financial challenge, which is the growing cost of entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid.” (Editorial, “Obama’s overly tame budget,”
Los Angeles Times, 2/15/11)
Although our current fiscal problems require increasingly bold action, Heath Shuler continues to dedicate his energy to helping his Democrat leaders in D.C. defend their failed policies and maintain the status quo. Federal regulations and unfunded mandates continue to put the squeeze on states’ abilities to provide healthcare, but apparently Shuler and his Democrat leaders haven’t noticed in Washington.
BACKGROUND:
Former Virginia Governor and current U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said that Medicare was “on the road to a meltdown”:
“Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat, said earlier this year that Medicaid was ‘on the road to a meltdown’ and would ‘bankrupt all the states’ if Congress did not intervene.” (Robert Pear, “House and Senate Are Still Far Apart on Medicaid Changes,” The New York Times, 12/12/05)
Former Kansas Governor and current Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned that this problem affects all states:
“‘Every governor in the country is trying to grapple with this rapidly growing part of the budget,’ Sebelius said.” (David Klepper, “Medicaid spending under scrutiny; Kansas officials look for savings,” The Kansas City Star, 7/24/05)
Former Arizona Governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano pleaded for action from Washington:
“We need the federal government to engage on Medicaid. … They need to support the states. The second thing is we need to do some things internally with cost controls, which we are doing. We may need some help from the providers.” (Dan Nowicki, “An Evening with the Governor,” The Arizona Republic, 11/18/04)
Former West Virginia Governor and current U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said federal mandates in Medicaid were a major problem:
“‘We have so many mandates and conditions,’ Manchin said. ‘Just a little bit of flexibility might get you a long way down the road without having to spend a lot more.'” (George Hohmann, “Manchin Says Obama Here to Help,” Charleston Daily Mail, 12/03/08)
Dems’ current plan for Medicaid puts it “on the road to meltdown” and would “bankrupt all the states” http://ow.ly/4qowu #MadeinWDC
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