Today, the General Assembly reconvenes to consider the budget, which, as it is currently, is being held hostage by Senate Democrats in their hopes of expanding Medicaid (ie, now, ObamaCare) into Virginia.
The arguments for and against can be found in many different places, and the cloak room machinations can be found right here on BD.
However, the only person who really matters in this entire fight is Speaker of the House William Howell – and he has the high ground.
Governor Terry McAuliffe and State Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw are obviously pushing for expansion, but even they realize that once localities start truly coming close to not being able to pay for schools, police, parks, trash pick-up, etc. because of their intransigence, the pendulum will swing against them and knock them right between the eyes. That’s already starting to happen with the larger cities getting squeamish with their own budget deadlines and more smaller localities moving towards the ledge. As we progressively move closer to late April, and nothing is done, the fervor is going to reach a fever pitch.
In this past weekend’s Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star, the Speaker lays down the gauntlet:
“My position on Medicaid expansion is clear. I believe we must reform the current program before we can consider expansion. Medicaid has grown by 1,600 percent over the last 30 years. Without expansion, Virginia is expected to spend an additional $1 billion over the next decade. That is simply unsustainable. Common sense says we must reform Medicaid first.
“Even with reforms, I am skeptical of the federal government’s ability to pay for expansion. Just as President Barack Obama promised you could keep your health care plan, he promises to pay for 90 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion forever. Considering the federal government is over $17 trillion in debt, it is only a matter of time before they break this promise too and shift more costs to the states.”
And there it is.
It’s not this phony nonsensical 400,000 number that DPVA hacks keep throwing around. It’s a legitimate concern about another number: the 8.1 million Virginians who are being held hostage for an unfunded mandate with unknown consequences. Not only do we not know if the federal government will be able to hold up its end of the bargain in the future, but the bargaining chip is our teachers, first responders, and local public servants!
That’s no way to govern. And, if the Speaker and Republican caucus hold strong, eventually even the governor and Senator Saslaw will see it too.
