The other day, in my post Without a Doctor, I claimed that the Medicare system here in Florida had been raped by the gubernatorial administrations of Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist; thus decimating their effectiveness as originally envisioned.

In the comments section of The VSJ, in ekg’s post They Really Will Stop at Nothing…our sparring partner lilMike, in a reply to me, asked:

Medicaid in Florida is trashed because Republicans have ruined it?

The short answer: YES! ABSOLUTELY!
In 1965, President Johnson signed the law establishing Medicare and Medicaid. The original purpose of the Medicaid program was:

The Medicaid program, authorized under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, was enacted to provide health care services to low-income children deprived of parental support, their caretaker relatives, the elderly, the blind, and individuals with disabilities.
Going way back to the days of Gov. Claude Kirk (whom I had the pleasure to know personally, regardless of his political leanings), Medicaid has been a prime target of Republican Death Squads.

Gov. Bob Martinez (whom I worked under while with the Florida Board of Nursing) cut, sliced, and pared Medicaid at an alarming rate, especially with regards to our elderly.

But it wasn’t until the reign of Jeb Bush (for whom I billed Medicaid and Medicare at a home health agency) that Medicaid in this state went under the greatest change.

One of Jeb’s first actions upon taking office was to kill his predecessor’s, Lawton Chiles (the only Florida governor in recent history to actually care about health care for children, the disabled and the poor) health care initiative for individuals and small businesses, the Florida Health Care Purchasing Alliance.

But that wasn’t Jeb’s first foray into the rape of Medicaid. In 2003:

Governor Bush is proposing to drop health care and long-term care coverage for about 26,000 seniors and people with disabilities, although they would retain prescription drug coverage.  The governor also is proposing steep increases in co-payments for prescription drugs, which likely would make it harder for some poor patients to afford their medications.  The state already implemented modest cuts in the Medicaid eligibility of elderly and disabled people last year.

In 2005, Jeb had the bright idea (not!) to be among the first to follow his brother George’s edict to make state Medicaid coverage over modeling it like (get this!) a health insurance company, complete with limits on coverage:

Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, both Republicans, have proposed radical changes intended to inject market forces and competition into Medicaid. Under their proposals, the state would give Medicaid recipients a fixed amount of money to buy health care or private insurance.

Under Governor Bush’s proposal, Florida would contribute a fixed amount toward coverage for each Medicaid beneficiary. Patients could use the money to “opt out of Medicaid altogether and purchase health care insurance in the private market,” Mr. Bush said.

(Ironically, today Jeb is on the board of Tenet Healthcare, the same company required to repay the government over 900 million dollars in Medicare and Medicaid overpayments and is plagued by scandal after scandal.)

Even today, Jeb Bush’s failed Medicaid managed care decisions are affecting the State negatively:

”We’ve done the experiment. It has failed,” said Durell Peaden, the Senate’s health care budget chief. “The reports are unsettling. People couldn’t get to specialists, couldn’t get adequate care. And they couldn’t do it cheaply.”


I’m sure Lawton Chiles, the only Florida governor in 40 years to care about it’s citizens, is rolling in his grave right now…
 
The son of Gov. Lawton Chiles said today Gov. Charlie Crist has “betrayed” needy children and old people by raiding a tobacco-funded trust fund for $700 million needed to balance Florida’s budget.

ok.. so we're headed towards a Greek-like meltdown because Obama and healthcare? it of course has nothing at all to do with Bush's deficit-spending entitlement and tax cuts.. or all the borrowing for his vendetta war.. it has nothing to do with 8 years of bad policy and free reign for any crony who asked... all of this, this "OMG LOOK WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN" has to do with letting people buy healthcare at a cheaper price, letting the sick get healthcare, letting the sick or injured stay on their health plans...

really...



well.. ok.. answer this..where was this "Responsibility" over the last 8 years?  


and see that's where your feary-tale breaks down..


when people were screaming about all the crazy shit the Bush admin was doing, where was all this "Government-bad" outrage from your side? .. ..  I remember the ones screaming then how bad this shit was being told by the admin and it's voters to sit down and shut the fuck up because the (R) were in charge..and the (R) know what's right.. and we're either with them or with the terrorists.... Hell, when told 2/3 of  Americans said the Iraq war was worth fighting, Cheney's reply was "SO"..  when asked "So you don't care what the American people think?" his answers was "NO"..

but now... now you want to listen ? Now the President better listen?

since your party got us into this mess.. and you haven't been right on any other feary-tales you've been telling.. why should we believe this new apocalyptic feary-tale ?  

it's like teh boy who cried wolf.. but this time you're telling the truth right?

speaking of riots.. where does your beloved Tea-Party and FoxNews fall in the blame when they succeed in inciting those who buy into your fear to actually start the revolution ? They are the ones calling for hangings,blood,revolution... is it because you like their message that you don't care if they instigate this? That you like their call to get rid of the Dept of education or the EPA and the like..  so you're ok if people take to the streets and riot? it must be because I sure don't see you posting links asking the tea-party leaders to scale back the rhetoric before something terrible happens..

tell me, why are you silent when your party is about to tear this country apart by inciting those who are already mad.. and they are mad because what the last admin did and didn't do that fucked this entire world, but  they can't blame the last admin so they blame the new guy in office.. seriously, your party created the mess, then riled the people up because of the mess they created and blamed it on the new guy  don't get me wrong..it's brilliant.. but I'm not worried about the libs rioting.. I"m worried about the Birthers,Truthers, and Oathers you guys lather up on a daily basis..The libs aren't the ones bringing guns to Presidential speeches.. that's ya'll.. and it's y'alls TV and radio that riles them up even more with these selective feary-tales

It's pretty brilliant.. you can sit back and watch the fireworks  the GOP policy over the last 8 years created, incite people to hate the black dude because he wants to give Americans a chance to go to the doctor or 'reparations' if you listen to Rush.. but the blame lies with y'all for allowing it to get to a level that would breed the riots and the downfall in the first place.. so take that accusing finger and point it at yourselves for once if you really want to talk about 'Responsibility'

I find this totally inexplicable.  I just don't understand what Obama is doing with our foreign policy.  Is it really as simple as personal hatred of the UK?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7040245.ece

Washington refused to endorse British claims to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands yesterday as the diplomatic row over oil drilling in the South Atlantic intensified in London, Buenos Aires and at the UN.

Despite Britain’s close alliance with the US, the Obama Administration is determined not to be drawn into the issue. It has also declined to back Britain’s claim that oil exploration near the islands is sanctioned by international law, saying that the dispute is strictly a bilateral issue.

**cough** **cough**

From the link:


I seem to recall in 1982, when the Argentinians invaded the Falklands, even Mike's worshiped God Reagan didn't want to get involved, other than to try to negotiate a peace treaty. Yet, even that minimal involvement was at the request of the British.

Today, the Brits don't want our help. But lilMike wants what? For us to invade Argentina?

WTF?

A whole section dedicated to debunking me?

Why, I don't know what to say!

 

You make it gov't and 'free', you get subpar service, and two tier system were the best Dr's sell their service to the rich.

Well I’m certainly glad that we got both a conviction and, eventually, Zazi’s cooperation, however that seems to have hinged on luck rather than the success of our judicial system.

WASHINGTON -- The most influential conservative grassroots leaders nationwide signed the Mount Vernon statement recommitting their movement to constitutional conservatism.

"This is something that all conservatives -- those that are concerned about national security, those that are concerned about economic opportunity, those that are concerned about religious liberty and personal responsibility -- there' something here for everyone because this is simply a restatement to this generation of those enduring founding principles," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

In the works since last summer, the one-page document seeks to unify conservatives in the era of Obama

The signing ceremony is took place at a library that was part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate. 

"For those of us striving hard every day to defend our nation's freedoms from liberalism's belief that an ever-increasing government is the cure for every care, the Mount Vernon Statement is a breath of fresh air that reminds us that constitutional conservatism need not be reinvented or poll-tested in each new election cycle," said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Boys.. Boys.. there's enough of me for the both of you