Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Weekend Contributor
Last week, I wrote a post about Josh Miller (Not All Needy People Are As Deserving As Others), a young Republican state legislator from Heber Springs, Arkansas. Miller, who was paralyzed more than a decade ago in a catastrophic car accident, has been able to live a productive life due to the medical benefits he has received from both Medicare and Medicaid. Yet, this young state senator has spoken out against Medicaid expansion in Arkansas. Some of us find his stance on this issue to be hypocritical.
This past Tuesday, lawmakers in Arkansas voted to continue allowing the state “to use Medicaid dollars to buy private health-care insurance for poorer residents, overcoming resistance from some Republicans who said the program amounted to an endorsement of the Affordable Care Act.” According to the Wall Street Journal, Arkansas became the first state “to offer a ‘private option’ to extend coverage to lower-income residents…” Supporters of the program saw the private option “as a way to accept federal dollars and cut the number of uninsured residents without enlarging Medicaid.”
Matt Campbell of Blue Hog Report said that when he heard about the legislature’s vote to fund the private option for another fiscal year he “halfheartedly hoped that the extra ‘yes’ vote might have been Rep. Josh Miller.” Such was not the case however. What Campbell said he finds most hypocritical and troubling about Miller’s “no” vote on the private option is that the young lawmaker actually used his position as a legislator “to make blatantly self-serving changes to the Medicaid law” which would make it easier for him to get the same coverage that he “would deny to others.” Campbell says that Miller was a main sponsor in 2013 of Act 1048. That Act changes how Arkansas law defines a person’s eligibility for receiving Medicaid.
Eligibility prior to ACT 1048:
an individual who meets the disability assets and unearned income standards to receive supplemental security income, who would be considered to be receiving supplemental security income benefits but for his or her earned income, and whose net combined family income is less than two hundred fifty percent (250%) of the federal poverty guideline. Miller’s bill eligibility change:
How Miller’s bill would change eligibility:
an individual who meets the disability assets and unearned income standards to receive supplemental security income, who would be considered to be receiving supplemental security income benefits but for his or her earned income, and whose net combined family income is less than two hundred fifty percent (250%) of the federal poverty guideline.
Campbell claimed that “while lawmakers and policy wonks were arguing over the propriety of expanding Medicaid in general to include non-disabled adults making up to 138% of the federal poverty line, Rep. Miller was working to ensure that, no matter how much money he might make, he could never lose his sweet, sweet government-funded insurance.” Campbell said that Miller didn’t stop at that, though. He said that Act 1048 also changes “Arkansas Code Annotated 20-77-1204 regarding the administration of Medicaid for ‘Low-Income Disabled Working Persons.’” He said Miller’s bill also added 1204(c), which states:
A rule adopted under this section shall not include a test for income, assets, or resources.
Campbell added that while 1204(b)(2) “explicitly requires DHS to adopt rules that establish ‘premium and cost-sharing charges on a sliding scale based on income’… thanks to Rep. Miller, DHS cannot actually include any kind of means testing in those rules…”
It certainly does appear that Josh Miller thinks that not all needy people in Arkansas are as deserving of Medicaid benefits as is he. It appears that he truly is a hypocrite too.
~ Submitted by Elaine Magliaro
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
SOURCES
The Disgustingly Self-Serving Hypocrisy of Rep. Josh Miller (Blue Hog Report)
Arkansas Lawmakers Pass ‘Private Option’ Health-Care Law: Program Allows State to Use Medicaid Dollars to Buy Private Health-care Insurance for Some (Wall Street Journal)
Not All Needy People Are As Deserving As Others: Paralyzed Arkansas Lawmaker Who Receives Medicaid Benefits Opposes Medicaid Expansion in His State (Res Ipsa Loquitor)
Sean Hannity Can’t Be Bothered With the Truth
—By Kevin Drum
| Fri Oct. 18, 2013
This is hilarious in a pathetic kind of way: last Friday, Sean Hannity invited three “regular families” onto his show to relate their horror stories about premium hikes and business-killing regulations under Obamacare. Eric Stern decided to call all three of them to find out what was really going on.
Answer: nothing. One of them was apparently just lying, and the other two hadn’t even checked the exchanges, where they would have found that they could get better coverage for considerably less than they’re paying now.
That’s just sad. Hannity runs a big-time show with well-paid producers, but they apparently couldn’t find even a single true example of someone who got screwed by Obamacare. How hard can that be? Even liberals acknowledge that some people will end up worse off. But Hannity’s staff couldn’t be bothered. I guess he figures his audience doesn’t really deserve any better.
Gosh, Hannity and Fox were pretty quiet when it came to Bushcheney, I wonder why that was.
Justin,
Stewart is a comedian who skewers politicians. I didn’t use him as a source for this post.
Who worships at the altar of Obama? Not I!
It frightens me to think what the condition of our country would be in without Fox News, and in particular Sean Hannity. While the world worshiped at the alter of Obama, Sean Hannity, the lone voice in the wilderness, was exposing Barack Obama for the fraud that we now know him to be.
“I suggest we start thinking in terms of what is best for American, not what is in the best interest of the Democrat or Republican Parties.”
And we most certainly will find it on Fox, out of the mouth of Sean Hannity, because he would never slant any opinion, ever.
I suggest we start thinking in terms of what is best for American, not what is in the best interest of the Democrat or Republican Parties.
Elaine M.: aren’t you the one who cites John Stewart as a supposed credible source for political information.
Thank you. I could not have said it better myself.
“Elaine M. needs to open up her mind.”
*****
Says the man who watches Fox News and thinks Sean Hannity is a hero.
Elaine,
Thanks for “doubling down” and reminding us of the hypocrisy that is rampant in states that have refused to extend Medicaid to their poor citizens, all in the name of politics.
Elaine M. needs to open up her mind.
nick,
One has got to get their news somewhere. The Internet provides many more sources of information than do network and cable TV programs.
Thanks, Elaine. I don’t want to argue and do agree there is WAY too much opinionating on TV. But, the interwebs are not much better IMO.
nick,
I don’t see having a “proclivity” to introducing facts/information into a discussion of an issue as something negative. For what it’s worth, I have witnessed too much “opinionating” instead of discussion of hard facts on too many TV “news” programs. That’s one of the reasons I don’t watch much TV news. I get much of my news from various sources on the Internet.
I’ve never heard anyone but a certain commenter call Elaine compulsive. Again Elaine, thank you for all you do. Professor Turley picked you to be a weekend blogger for good reason.
I don’t want this to degenerate. Many people have pointed out this, lets call it proclivity. You don’t see it. There’s really nothing more to say. We will simply have to disagree.
Some folks would rather not have a balanced discussion with outside links and perspectives and simply want readers to take their word for it. Good work Elaine, I appreciate you bringing your keen intelligence and the opinions and facts from many different sources into your posts here.
nick,
I don’t think it’s compulsive to show that there are many Republicans as well as Democrats who support Medicaid expansion in their states. I’d call it trying to provide a balanced perspective on the subject. After all, Arkansas legislators did vote in favor of funding the private option/Medicaid expansion.
I think you’re substantially correct on this one. It’s just the way you prove it. You are a bit compulsive. Hell, my daughter is compulsive. It’s the way someone is hard wired. She’s working on it.
How partisan of me to show that there are Republicans who also support Medicaid expansion in their states!!!