February 12, 2015
by Nick Novak
Originally published by The Washington Times.
I hate to say “I told you so,” but in this case I actually did. Back in August, I wrote a column for this paper calling on governors to say no to the massive boondoggle that is Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid.
It traps people in yet another government program and does nothing to help improve the health outcomes of the people it claims to serve. But for some reason, governors in states like Illinois and Ohio jumped at the possibility of more “free” money from Washington.
First of all, there is no such thing as free money from the federal government. Taxpayers are the ones footing the bill, and we are already $18 trillion in debt. We simply cannot afford it.
Secondly, the federal money that was promised is not going to last forever. By 2020, states that expand Medicaid will be on the hook for 10 percent of the costs associated with the expansion. And congressional leaders like Republican Paul Ryan are already saying the federal government will likely require states to kick in more than that down the line.
Even if the federal government keeps its promise, states are already anticipating massive increases in costs over previous estimates.
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