GOPer Ernst: People On Medicaid Had No 'Personal Responsibility'

[steve2470]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/joni-ernst-medicaid-recipients-personal-responsibility

Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the state, seems to have argued that a chunk of Medicaid recipients do not have any "personal responsibility for their health."

The argument, made by Ernst in April, was flagged by The Plum Line's Greg Sargent on Friday. It was part of Ernst laying out her opposition to Iowa expanding Medicaid. Here's the key passage:

Participation in the broken Medicaid program has doubled over the past decade. Iowa has nearly 500,000 Medicaid enrollees. If the program is expanded, it is estimated the Medicaid population will grow by an additional 110,000 to 181,000 recipients who have no personal responsibility for their health and no accountability for the care provided.

Ernst's campaign told Sargent that she was referring to "bureaucrats overseeing the program." Here's the response from Ernst spokeswoman Gretchen Hamel:

more at link above

[upaloopa]

1. Most of them are so poor they can't eat decent food.

Without Medicaid they are considered indigent by the medical providers.
Poor people don't have regular exercise and diet programs. Fresh fruit and vegetables are too expensive even if they do have the time and means to cook them properly.
And trips to the gym are out of the question.

[Marrah_G]

2. And they say they are the pro-life family values party.......