Lt. Governor Casey Cagle has an article in today’s Washington Times regarding the potential cost to states like Georgia of the health care reform bills working their way through the Congress.
Georgia would be one of just 14 states that would see the Medicaid-eligible population balloon by 45 percent. In fact, if the bill passes, the Heritage Foundation research indicates that as many as 1 in 5 Georgians would have access to a government-run health care entitlement.
Estimates indicate that over the five-year life span of the bafflingly titled Affordable Health Care for America Act, more than $2.4 billion in new expenses would be added to our state’s budget. Even a “watered down” alternative also being proposed could cost as much as $2 billion for Georgians.
This additional financial burden would crush our state budget. In Georgia, we have already witnessed a massive state budget shortfall caused by deteriorating economic conditions and dramatically lower tax revenue. Unlike Washington, our state constitution requires us to balance the budget each year.
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Cagle is dead on,this bill is a total screw up in many ways and on many levels.
time for some good ole budget cutting, and lets tax medical marijuana while we are at it.
Why should 15 other states have all the fun?
While I certainly don’t disagree with Cagle’s concerns, I’m still waiting for these vocal opponents of the Reform effort (Cagle, Sen. Hill, the rest of the majority in the General Assembly) to come up with with an alternative solution for Georgia’s uninsurable population. Right now, the outcry just reeks of, “I don’t have any ideas, but I don’t like yours.”
That’s the idea.
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