Governor Dennis Daugaard says the Medicaid math works:
Gov. Dennis Daugaard says he’s convinced South Dakota can expand Medicaid without adding to state spending, but now he must weigh its chances in the Republican-held Legislature.
The GOP governor said Tuesday that if the plan appears politically viable, he would like to call a special legislative session in June or July [“Daugaard: Medicaid Expansion Math Works; Let’s Talk Politics,” AP via KSFY, 2016.05.31].
This fits what we heard last month about the Governor finding more money than expected available to fund the complicated IHS/Medicaid funding switch. Of course, Governor Daugaard will probably need some of that money to get South Dakota out of dutch with the Justice Department over our nursing home/ADA violations.
In response to the increased possibility that the Governor will call the Legislature into a post-primary special session to implement this last element of the Affordable Care Act, Florida-based, ALEC-connected conservative group Foundation for Government Accountability is joining Koch-backed Americans for (1%) Prosperity in spending money to discourage legislators from supporting Medicaid expansion. FGA thinks we should privatize Medicaid and rely on volunteers for health care. FGA also supports ineffective conservative dog-whistle policies like testing welfare recipients for drugs.
Spend money to keep South Dakotans from enjoying better access to health care, federal stimulus, and jobs—like John Thune, these conservatives are more interested in clinging to their Obama-noia fundraising model than in enacting effective policy for South Dakota.
If you really want to hold your government accountable, contact them and tell them to use our resources to make health care available to more South Dakotans.
GOP legislators are generally not motivated by the notion of helping poor South Dakotans. Gov needs to lean heavily on the message that he’s kicking Indians off of the SD medicaid dole. That will motivate GOP legislators more than anything else.
The conservative outrage machine will continue to churn out outrages against all manner and hints of real or imagined creeping socialism, and the easily outraged base will continue to write checks backed by money they get from Social Security.
It took a damn near decade for Daugaard to figure out that the numbers work. Numbers aren’t as questionable as opinions, and it has been Daugaard’s opinion that numbers don’t work for almost 8 freaking years now.
“In my opinion, it’s just too risky to claim 2 + 2 = 4. We gotta be careful about the slippery slope of government.” -Dennis Daugaard (figuratively)
Daugaard the Flip Flopper
I would have expected Mr. H to trot out some formulas and out-math the Governor instead of just taking him at his word.
Governor Daugaard should call for a vote and let the chips fall where they will. Let the people see where the legislators loyalties lie before the election.
Governor Daugaard is a lying liar and even he knows it on this matter. There ain’t no way in hell he is going to allow his minions to pass Medicaid Expansion without the congress stepping in to help relieve the pain the working poor suffer from. The working poor are a cash cow that his rich continue to suck the marrow from their bones by garnishing wages and generally keeping them without the means to do anything other than toll away at low paying, if any jobs. Jobs that mean they cannot afford to leave them. Daugaard knows it is a cheap trick he is playing but no one seems to catch on how the whole scheme works. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa knows. He also knows that his state is not to keen on him for a lot of things so, here he goes. Give Daugaard and the rest of the phonies a call and let them know they ain’t fooling no one with this big ole lie. https://www.propublica.org/article/nonprofit-hospital-stops-suing-so-many-poor-patients-will-others-follow
Mark, the only vote we’ll get on this issue will be the vote for legislators. Next week Daugaard will get to test his capital against the Koch Bros, FGA, and other naysayers. Sanford and Avera must be offering him a lot of money to make him want to fight that fight that hard.