So in simpler speak, you're saying it's the Governor's fault for not accepting the expansion...
In the immediate sense, yes. She did what she thought was right at the time (I’m NOT a Fallin defender in any way shape or form) which was looking at the long picture when Oklahoma would foot the larger share of Medicaid payments.
It’s attractive in the short term, but it’s like taking out a loan for a $70,000 Lexus when you are a medical student with a $15,000 a year income from student loans because you think you can make the payments in five years when you graduate because the economic picture will be far better. Will it? You hope anyhow.
None of this would have happened without the ACA. It simply put more on the backs of states in order to make the ACA appear more revenue or deficit neutral. They can pay for it now or pay for it later. Either the pain is felt in medical facilities who treat the poor now, or there is a crisis in 5-7 years for states to figure out how to fund it when the feds pull the rug out. The states who have gone ahead and joined in are hoping the predictions of “thousands of jobs will be created by Medicaid expansion”, but that remains to be seen and there are many gratuitous claims as to how this mechanism works in every state which accepts the expansion. I still have not seen one article which clearly maps out how this is an economic boon for any state which opted in.
I don’t recall there being such a calamity awaiting Medicaid users prior to the passage of the ACA.
I’ll search harder next week. Really I will.
