We’re marching for healthcare here in Aberdeen Friday (5 p.m., outside the Ward, Main St. and South 1st Ave.!).
Among the reasons we’re marching is to oppose the $880 billion that Rep. Kristi Noem voted to cut from Medicaid, cuts which would devastate the working poor, elderly, disabled, and children. Medicaid covers 44% of children with special health care needs.
Noem’s cuts to Medicaid aren’t just bad for children’s health now. Noem’s cuts are bad for our economic and fiscal health in the future:
To many, health coverage for children seems like a bipartisan no-brainer. Research increasingly shows the economic benefit of investing in children’s health early. The government recoups much of its investment in Medicaid for children over time in the form of higher future tax payments, a 2015 study published by the non partisan National Bureau of Economic Research found.
Children who had been on Medicaid also collect less in the Earned Income Tax Credit and the women who were on Medicaid earn more money by the time they are 28. Children who were eligible for Medicaid also live longer and are more likely to go to college, the report found.
“From a cost-benefit perspective, investments in children have enormous payoffs,” says John Graham, who was rule-making chief at the Office of Management and Budget in the George W. Bush administration. “But children don’t vote and are not politically organized, so it’s not as easy to defend their interests in the political process as it is for senior citizens” [Jayne O’Donnell and Ken Alltucker, “Obamacare Replacement Threatens Kids’ Health Coverage,” USA Today, 2017.05.13].
Noem is on break right now, but she has scheduled no town halls to hear voters’ concerns about health care policy or explain why she thinks taking health coverage away from millions of low-income kids is good for kids, the economy, or the budget. She’s headed back to Washington this week, but perhaps she’ll at least send some staff to Aberdeen to take notes on what participants in the March for Healthcare want for Medicaid and broader health care policy.
Because … … tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. Everybody needs to get their priorities in line with those of Noem. She knows better than you do, and she doesn’t need to meet with you at some town hall to know that.
If she held a “real” town hall (not one at a police station) she’d merely reply with her memorized talking points taught her by her republican masters. None of our “representatives” there in the Great White Theme Park listen to us rubes down here.
What is the written purpose of the Medicaid tax?
http://jobsanger.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-difference.html
Difference between Noem’s world and reality as shown by how the parties vote on important issues.
Medicaid tax, Francis? FICA pays for Medicare, for Granny and Grampy. Is there a separate Medicaid tax?
NOem is always on break, that is the only thing she is good at. If NOem, Thune and Rounds can just hang out a little longer with trumpcare, they figure they can then do reconciliation through the senate and then…the crooks and liars holy grail…tax breaks for their nests. NOem is willing to look the other way as not only grandma and gramps take it on the chin, but also America herself. Why else would you allow trump to put our soldiers, sailors and marines into even further harms way by giving the ruskies the intel we paid billions for.
I would be hiding to if I was her. After voting to let the insurance companies play god over who gets treatment or not. Just like it used to be
How can you lead when you will not face the public??
Hopefully she is not the next gov.
No idea Cory? So what is the funding source for Medicaid? I presume it is a tax of some kind.
If Marty Jackley can’t fully embody caring for South Dakota’s children, like Sally Struthers would, and if Kristi Noem is willing to go all in with her campaign war chest, then I am afraid this ditzbrain will become our next Governor.
Yee Haw! Right?
Is this what being pro-life means? A hard life for children right out of the womb?
Adam and Cory, this is the perfect time for the SDDP to put on a town hall and invite Ms Noem. Invite the media and have at it.
Kaiser Family Foundations says Medicaid is funded by the feds and state matches, usually at state level from general funds, so I don’t know if we can find any sort of “written purpose” in the tax code for dollars going to Medicaid.
As for Medicaid itself, I’d say the purpose is to make sure low-income people can still get health care.
NOem will look to this plan for rural South Dakota hospitals and clinics http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/breakingnews/story/2017/may/10/polk-county-hospital-shuts-down-beds-sets-gofundme/427423/
South Dakota already is on the federal teat so setting up a Go Fund Me is clearly the next step in showing what a failed state looks like. Thanks putin..er NOem for our brave new world.
Jenny, I invited Rep. Noem to our March for Healthcare here in Aberdeen Friday. She cannot attend, but I have told the office we would welcome any staffer they can send.