Rick Perry Factors Into State Budget Obamacare Funds He Had Pledged To Reject

[ProSense]

Rick Perry Factors Into State Budget Obamacare Funds He Had Pledged To Reject

By Annie-Rose Strasser

Eight days after the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate and ruled that the federal government cannot penalize states that refuse to expand Medicaid, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) announced that he would not open the program to more applicants. But while he was making a public show of turning down federal funds, Perry was using the additional dollars in state budget projections.

In a letter explaining how he would fill a budget gap left by Texas’ decision to defund Planned Parenthood, Perry’s office uses the money the federal government will pay states that make Medicaid available to individuals up to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Line in its budgetary assumptions:

Greta Rymal, Deputy Executive Commissioner for Financial Services, has projected the fiscal impact of this rule for three years, assuming that all clients will be eligible for Medicaid following the expansion of the Medicaid program in January 2014 <...>

Several months ago, the Texas health commissioner signed a rule to ban Planned Parenthood or any organization the state considers an “abortion affiliate” from participating in Medicaid’s Women’s Health Program, which “provides low-income women with family planning exams, related health screenings and birth control” throughout Texas. The state’s discrimination against a specific health provider violated federal rules and led Washington, which had financed 90 percent of the WHP through Medicaid funds, to block Texas from receiving further funding for the program.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/08/06/647211/perry-medicaid-expansion-pp/

Six governors say they will opt out of Medicaid. How long will they hold out?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002923048

States stand to lose a lot more than Medicaid funding by refusing the expansion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002914241

[Scuba]

1. Aides have been trying to explain the conflict to Perry all week without success.

[Hoyt]

2. There is too much money available from the feds for states to opt out of Medicaid expansion.

Right wing governors and other officials will boast of refusing federal money for expanding Medicaid; but in the end, all (certainly most) will take it without a lot of publicity.

OP is a good find -- thanks.

[railsback]

3. One thing is for sure

The Right KNOWS their base. People like Jindal can stand before cameras, smiling while handing out Federal stimulus checks, while at the same time chastising Obama for the stimulus. THESE PEOPLE ARE STUPID. Perry knows this. They all know this. When an aide asked Perry about the hypocrisy, Perry said, "Don't worry, these people are stupid!"

[ProSense]

4. Could you

"The Right KNOWS their base. People like Jindal can stand before cameras, smiling while handing out Federal stimulus checks, while at the same time chastising Obama for the stimulus. "

...imagine if they got slammend by the media for this the way Reid is being slammed?

[railsback]

6. I suspect the reason why is..

if the media acted like they were supposed to act, then the GOP will refuse to come on any of their programs. Money trumps ethics.

[ananda]

5. LOL

I'm laughing at Perry, but I truly hope seriously
that poor people get the aid and the healthcare
they need.