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)
Justin,
It still works. No matter who said it first.
nick,
I have voted for more than one Republican in my life.
You have never acknowledged that any traditional public schools provide their students with a quality education. You have never made any criticisms of charter schools. With you–it’s all traditional public schools are bad…and all charter schools are good. You hate unions. I remember what my parents told me about their working lives before they had union representation. We can thank those who fought for better working conditions and wages for Americans for helping people to enjoy a better quality of life and for building a strong middle class. Yes, I know some union bosses are corrupt–but you’ll find corruption in most large organizations. I don’t see things as black and white. I perceive shades of gray…and believe one has to dig into subjects for information from a wide range of sources to truly understand them.
nick:
actually not, either slick or shtick. 🙂
Elaine, We just disagree. I vote for Dems, Rep, third parties, independents and I write in. I KNOW I’m a free thinker. Your litmus test for being a free thinker[unions, public education, etc.] shows you’re an ideologue. “If you’re against what I’m for then you can’t be a free thinker.” I know you said you voted for a Republican back in the day. But, I gotta believe it’s virtually party line votes. We are judged by what we do, not what we say. But again, we’ve danced to this tune previously. Let’s just end it w/ that. We disagree, and there have been no epithets. Refreshing.
nick,
If you were truly a free thinker, you wouldn’t have such a black and white attitude toward things like unions, public education, charter schools, certain news sources, social programs, etc. I don’t watch much news on MSNBC these days. I find that too many of the news programs on major networks and cable TV have the same talking heads on over and over again. They spout opinions…but rarely have the hard facts to back up what they say.
I’m not an ideologue. I don’t have much use for most of the Republicans or the Democrats in Congress. I don’t, however, find what the Republicans are doing these days to be things of which I can be supportive. I believe gays and lesbians should have equal rights. I’m concerned about the push by Republicans to disenfranchise millions of voters. The GOP is not the party that it once was. Back in the day, I recall some Republicans who were fiscal conservatives–but who were also much more open minded and concerned about social issues. They’d be castigated today by many in their party as being “too liberal.”
I’m thinking of another place this generation has its heads.
rafflaw: that’s original.
Justin,
Fox News is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.
everyone pile on Nick.
I am thinking of a word which rhymes with nick.
Dang! Is he calling me a Basta?!! He needs to stop calling me a Basta, that’s not very nice. Hehehe.
Justin, I just had a discussion w/ my wife last night about young people, particularly women, walking and texting. We are having Spring Break here in San Diego. The boardwalk is teeming w/ college kids, their heads buried in their cells. I do not give ground and give an assertive “Heads up” when they approach. I don’t know if you ever played football or hockey? If you did, you know what happens to players w/ their head down!
Oy. And I don’t speak Italian. 🙂
I am having a civil discussion w/ Elaine. Stalking my comments is spooky and destructive to the civility of this blog. EVERYONE sees it. Basta!
Wayne: are you talking about the same generation that walks around all day with their heads down staring at their stupid machines? And is that also the same generation that does not know how to look a person in the eyes and communicate with them verbally? Is that the same group you are talking about?
Elaine, wow. Free thinker. Who knew? 😀
Elaine, Being a free thinker I see how people who are liberal ideologues believe stuff in The Nation, Mother Jones, Salon, MSNBC, etc. is “factual” because it fits their world view. I know the same is true for conservative ideologues and their sources of “news.”. And, I realize those ideologues @ both ends of the spectrum would pass a polygraph if they were asked if their clearly biased sources were factual. They would answer an emphatic “YES” and that polygraph needle wouldn’t move. That’s why I avoid these discussions. I’ve learned that trying to show either side of the spectrum their folly is quixotic.
annie,
Justin has admitted that his favorite news personality is a partisan. That’s why he likes the news Hannity reports.
Ah, I see, the New York Times isn’t reliably far enough to the right for Justin. Ok it’s not as reliable as Breitbart or Druge. 😀
Wayne: Time will tell. I don’t who you are describing, but it most certainly is not me.
No Justin, you were vague and unclear, possibly on purpose. I didn’t even vote for Obama in 2012.