Pack Your Bags, Chuck!

[Howey]

You're not going to like this latest "accomplishment" of our beady-eyed Governor:

Let's look more closely at just one of these measures: proposed changes to the Medically Needy program. The program covers individuals with catastrophic medical expenses but have incomes above the Medicaid eligibility limit. The Medically Needy include, for example, organ transplant patients, under-employed parents with health problems, and people with disabilities with incomes above the SSI payment level.
 
Currently, Medically Needy patients qualify for Medicaid only during months in which they meet what is called the "share of cost" requirement. Recipients meet share of cost when they owe medical bills that reduce their net income for that month to less than 20% of the poverty level.

Under the State's proposal, Medically Needy recipients would be placed in a form of managed care and required to pay monthly premiums in exchange for continuous coverage. Sounds reasonable. Even helpful, right? But read the State's application very carefully:
 
The Agency seeks to simplify the enrollment and eligibility determination process and to implement an income-based premium not to exceed the recipient's share of cost. The objective [is] to provide for more continuous coverage and improved access and coordination.
 
Continued eligibility and coverage of the Medically Needy population are important objectives...and [this] would provide access to a greater eligibility period for Medicaid.

In all cases, the proposal would apply no more restrictive eligibility policy; and in most cases criteria would be less restrictive, since the proposed premium will be no more than the share of cost.
 
The extent of the disingenuousness and disregard buried in these statements almost defies description. For starters, State officials know that they must claim that these changes would not restrict eligibility, because otherwise the changes immediately violate federal law. To pitch what the Legislature demanded then, they had to tell a flat-out lie.
 
Suppose, for example, that a patient has monthly income of $1,000. Under current rules, if she is appropriately billed $800 for eligible medical care, she meets her share of cost without forcing her family to subsist on a third-world income. By contrast, under this "no more restrictive" proposal, the patient must not only directly pay the entire $800 to be eligible, they must pay that amount every month. This will improve access and continuity?!?

 

[uselesslegs]

Eh, no one gets it because those who chose to go to the media are merely the "omg, isn't that awful" clip of the moment.

But I give you permission to take my carcass and use it to help create a pile in front of the Gov's Mansion. 

All the death and decay should lure old Nosferatu out.

[ekg]

I have medically needy medicaid... but I have to use $2971 a month before it kicks in.. even my 15 year old has to come up with that much... but the 19 year old only had to come up with $1800... which was good for her when she spent 1 1/2 in ICU under quarrantine 2 months ago..her bill was triple that, so it was covered..

I find the 'medically needed' hilarious.. I mean why bother? I would have to pay the 1st $3k for me, hubby would have to pay the same for him and the 15 yro would have to pay the same for her.. so for a grand total of $9k we can have 30 days of Florida medical coverage.. ROCK on!!

on and BTW, that was our 'costs' while hubby was on unemployment.. yeah, he was making that incredible,country-blood-sucking amount of $265 a week...  So I laughed when they sent me the letter saying 'yeah, you're covered now'.. uh sure sherlock, no doubt we can swing that cost on what he makes.. *rollseyes*

[Howey]

I have medically needy medicaid... but I have to use $2971 a month before it kicks in.. even my 15 year old has to come up with that much... but the 19 year old only had to come up with $1800... which was good for her when she spent 1 1/2 in ICU under quarrantine 2 months ago..her bill was triple that, so it was covered..

I find the 'medically needed' hilarious.. I mean why bother? I would have to pay the 1st $3k for me, hubby would have to pay the same for him and the 15 yro would have to pay the same for her.. so for a grand total of $9k we can have 30 days of Florida medical coverage.. ROCK on!!

on and BTW, that was our 'costs' while hubby was on unemployment.. yeah, he was making that incredible,country-blood-sucking amount of $265 a week...  So I laughed when they sent me the letter saying 'yeah, you're covered now'.. uh sure sherlock, no doubt we can swing that cost on what he makes.. *rollseyes*

Just take comfort in the fact that Gov. Binks only pays 30bucks a month for him and Horseface.

[ekg]

Just take comfort in the fact that Gov. Binks only pays 30bucks a month for him and Horseface.

yeah, amazing isn't it?  I love how all these 'tea-party' business men flaunt their rape of the system and their followers not only think they should have that virgin, but offer more and more to them all because they can say the right phrase in the angriest voice..

[Howey]

yeah, amazing isn't it?  I love how all these 'tea-party' business men flaunt their rape of the system and their followers not only think they should have that virgin, but offer more and more to them all because they can say the right phrase in the angriest voice..

Wait til Michele or Fairy Perry take office and takes away their Medicare.

[uselesslegs]

If you do right by the Mob, maybe the mob will do right by you.  These people who want to take individual liberties to extremes, are the same people who are convinced they just might have a shot at being a billionaire too...and even if "they" don't...why shouldn't a bunch of other people get their shot?  I mean it's not like a bunch of people, who are billionaires, who won't reinvest their wealth in the country and it's people and keep the bulk of their money out of the economy...will have any real adverse affect to our fiscal stability.  Puh.

"Don't tread on me" should actually be, Get out of my way.