Science says that South Dakota is putting pregnant women and infants at greater risk of death by refusing to expand Medicaid. The 2020 Legislature has refused to take any action to reduce that risk by expanding Medicaid, and with just one week left of Capitol capers, it seems our legislators are once again inviting mockery of their “pro-life” quotes.
But as Representative Doug Post (R-7/Brookings) and Senator Lee Schoenbeck (R-5/Lake Kampeska) reminded us this week, it’s never too late to throw an entirely new bill in the hopper. If we really wanted to, we could write up and pass Medicaid expansion to help women and babies in the last days of this Session.
We wouldn’t even have to be original. Georgia, another Medicaid resistor, is working on expanding Medicaid for new moms right now:
Improving Georgia’s high maternal mortality rate is a House priority for this year’s legislative session, Speaker David Ralston told reporters Thursday.
“It is completely unacceptable for the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do business to have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country,” said Ralston, R-Blue Ridge.
Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-east Cobb, chaired a House study committee on maternal mortality that held hearings last summer and fall. One of the panel’s recommendations was to expand Medicaid coverage in Georgia for new mothers for one year post partum.
A review committee in 2014 that examined 101 cases of pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia between 2012 and 2014 found that 60% were preventable.
“As a nurse and nursing professor who taught maternal care, I am very much a champion for quality health care for our mothers and babies,” Cooper said [Dave Williams, “Georgia House Bill Seeks Medicaid Expansion for New Mothers,” Marietta Daily Journal, 2020.03.05].
The Georgia bill would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for qualifying moms from two months to six. South Dakota could double that care to twelve months and push its powerful Congressional delegation to support that 12-month expansion with federal legislation.
Expanding Medicaid might be good those of us who aren’t pregnant or pre-school, too. As I mentioned Trump appointed Mike Pence to pray the coronavirus away, expanding Medicaid, even temporarily, would help us prevent the spread of COVID-19:
Infectious disease is the textbook illustration of how the privileged cannot wall themselves off from others’ misfortune: The virus sees the biological human community that we try to deny, and ultimately those harmed will include not just those who lack insurance but anyone in the pathway of transmission. Each of us has a stake in everyone else’s prompt access to health services and that is why we should quickly deploy a tool that has proved effective in other emergencies: presumptive Medicaid eligibility for all who seek care, even if they ultimately do not test positive for the coronavirus. People won’t enter the health care system for screening if they think other aspects of the visit will saddle them with medical debt. By contrast, financial assurance of proper treatment for whatever their condition entails does bring people in and thereby enable earlier, more comprehensive intervention to curtail the spread of disease.
…Any serious response package should include this basic Medicaid extension for all Americans at risk of COVID-19. Health emergencies make visible and urgent what Americans fighting for universal health coverage have known all long: When it comes to our lives and our flourishing, we are all in it together [Christina S. Ho, “Medicaid for All Who Face the Coronavirus,” Slate, 2020.03.06].
Medicaid has shown its utility in dealing with sudden public health crises:
Medicaid is built to deal with broad-scale public health crises. For example, when lead-contaminated water threatened the health of the residents of Flint, Mich., in 2016, the federal government provided funding to the state to expand Medicaid for pregnant women and children. In New York City, after the attacks of 9/11, local, state and federal officials developed the Disaster Relief Medicaid plan that suspended federal Medicaid enrollment requirements to enable low-income New Yorkers to enroll quickly. After Hurricane Katrina, the federal government allowed states to temporarily cover evacuees from states hit hard by Katrina in their Medicaid programs, with the federal government picking up the tab [Sara R. Collins, “Without Universal Healthcare, Coronavirus Puts Us All at Risk,” Los Angeles Times, 2020.03.05].
I’m not asking South Dakota’s Legislature to whip up a statewide single-payer plan in 48 hours (though if y’all want to go there, I’ll drop everything and help). I’m just saying that expanding Medicaid could address both the immediate emergency of COVID-19 and the ongoing and worsening problem of maternal and infant deaths. The South Dakota Legislature thinks expanding broadband is an emergency; expanding Medicaid is literally a life-and-death emergency.
No offense, Master, but, you might just as well be attempting to educate a brick wall. Dakota’s wingnuts, like Texas nutjobs of years past, are only interested in Gays, girls, guns and gawd. They want tom regulate gays and girls and worship guns and an imaginary being not named drumpf.
Cory’s expansion argument makes a lot of sense and should be the ticket to winning Medicaid expansion support from self-proclaimed “pro-life” SD legislators and members of the public, regardless of party, if, and this is a pretty big if, there are any local studies showing the maternal and infant death rate in SD without Medicaid to be significant, indicating we experience the siimilar problems to other non-expansion states described in the earlier linked Georgetown study. Unless I missed it there doesn’t seem to be any reference to SD in the Georgetown study and this lack of specific local research makes it too easy for legislators and the SD public to dismiss this research as some other State’s troubles.
Medicaid for All or Medicare for All would dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans. I agree 100%. Then why do most people on this site support Joe Biden for president? Biden is for the private insurance status quo.
Jason falsely claims that “Biden is for the private insurance status quo.” To the contrary, Biden has consistently represented that he seeks to protect the ACA from further Trumpist sycophant damage and expand its reach. Recall that the ACA is the legal basis authorizing the expansion of Medicaid so protecting it provides SD with a continued opportunity to do the right thing and expand Medicaid. Straight from Biden’s own website:
https://joebiden.com/healthcare/
Regardless whether you support or oppose Biden, it is simply a false claim that Biden is “for the status quo.” But such false representations seem a frequent tactic of Trump supporters who pose as Bernie supporters. Instead of describing what Biden actually has stated he will do, and arguing either that Biden is misrepresenting his intent or that Biden’s policy proposals are flawed, these Trumpists and fake Bernie supporters make claims that are easily shown to be false.
I suppose the idea is to affect the beliefs of individuals who lack the time or interest to actually read Biden’s statements and proposals. Hopefully readers of DFP are beyond accepting such tripe.
Jason, here is Biden and Obama, see if you can hear what he says about the ACA/Obamacare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHKq9tt50O8
Cuba is like South Dakota in so many many ways. It is a poor country but has a rich healthcare system that even conquered lung cancer. No wonder its healthcare and education is praised at the highest levels https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article67364722.html
Even Bernie praised it.
That Sioux Falls paper says that 5 cases have been tested to date, 3/6/20. and all 5 have come back negative. No information on if those tested had health insurance or not.
Mr. H has an admirable idea, and one with which he needs the assistance of a fellow like Mr. Schoenbeck, who is a bit of a rogue and a leader who can get his own agendas done by the way he can manipulate all the legislatures.
This Mr. Post, he is but a follower of some who are insaner than most. I bet you a gravy laden breakfast that Mr. Post is finding himself sliding down and down on the pecking order the legislatures keep. Make no bones of soup, you want Mr. Schoenbeck on your side not Mr. Post.
Tomorrow at the Conservatives with Common Sense breakfast we will bypass the Opening Rant and go right to the ripping of Mr. Post.
Remember, second Sunday of March is at Cambell Street. Bring your own extra napkins.
The SDGOP categorically refuses to improve the lives of South Dakotans. Is this why?
“Do[es] [the SDGOP] act like jerks because they are jerks, or because the language of [ALEC/GOP] will create … jerk[s] of anyone eventually?”
Molly Young
3 months into this pandemic and South Dakota still cannot test for the virus. We have to send these tests to the CDC. The CDC, by the way, is not telling us how many tests are being done in the US. Last count was under 2,000. Yep, under 2,000. Republican failure is so accepted that we just wait until it completely blows up like in 2008, and then get the checkbook out. This time though, there will be a body count.
The SDGOP, under the Saudi Arabian influenced Lederman, is on the same page as the corrupted White House. If you do not allow Medicaid now, it will keep the numbers of infected people and deaths concealed. South Dakota would rather watch you die than record your statistic as a victim of their corruption.
Italy looks to quarantine Lombardy where Milan is the capital of that region of the country. We here try to hide how bad it really is. Thanks Republicans for trying to pull another Puerto Rico disaster.
“Italy is poised to impose an unprecedented quarantine on its northern region of Lombardy and other badly affected areas, as it steps up efforts to tackle Europe’s largest outbreak of coronavirus.
IThe number of people diagnosed with the new coronavirus exceeded 100,000 worldwide, with a number of new countries reporting their first cases.”
BTW, that area is not that far from a substantial US military base. So now we have the huge base in South Korea quarantined and the home of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in close proximity to the proposed quarantine.
Italy just quarantined 17 million citizens. Rounds and Thune support the danger of their crooked leader.
“Italy announced early on Sunday an unprecedented quarantine on its northern region of Lombardy and other badly affected areas, impacting some 16 million people as it steps up efforts to tackle Europe’s largest outbreak of coronavirus.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says nobody will be allowed in or out of Lombardy or the 10 other areas until April 3. ”
This is the only way known that works, ask China. Don’t ask the US, we’re clueless.
The failed republican state only cares about Wall Street’s stock market. They sure as hell don’t care about it’s citizens. Just keep spreading the virus. After all, there is no real history of a pandemic in the last 100 years or so. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-1918-flu-pandemic-a-cautionary-tale/
Medicaid expansion would encourage citizens to be proactive to stop this virus and to take care of themselves.
The corona virus is revealing what happens when a only-business (well beyond pro-business) administration handles a public health crisis: the focus is not on protecting public health, but on ensuring the money keeps flowing. Saying calming things – not to the people of the US but to Wall Street investors — ensuring that work/profit will continue uninterrupted . . . all put the focus on ensuring business’ health first and foremost — if not exclusively.
When the discussions were wealth, the willingness to undermine the 99% was one thing, but continuing that paradigm into public health is maniacal on a whole other level.
Issues like this are the best argument for the need for strong, efficient government. The Right/GOP’s rhetoric and actions again endanger lives. The rejection of Medicaid expansion is a dogmatic rejection that the GOP is willing to stand on rather than allow evidence that government CAN be the answer, the BEST answer, to problems.
Another study finds Medicare for all would be good for jobs and good paying jobs at that…
https://www.epi.org/publication/medicare-for-all-would-help-the-labor-market/
This is why the ultra misogynistic SDGOP is not interested in improving maternal mortality rates:
Almost 90% of people are biased against women, according to a new index that highlights the “shocking” extent of the global backlash towards gender equality.
Despite progress in closing the equality gap, 91% of men and 86% of women hold at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violence or reproductive rights.
The first gender social norm index analysed data from 75 countries that, collectively, are home to more than 80% of the global population. It found that almost half of people feel men are superior political leaders and more than 40% believe men make better business executives. Almost a third of men and women think it’s acceptable for a man to beat his wife.
is.gd/ffeoAy
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That’s the GOP in a nutshell. Their leaders, Antiwoman A$$hole and Moscow Mitch are both opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment. They simply don’t believe women “deserve” to be legally equal to males. How a woman can vote R simply baffles me.
This is why I so strongly detest those sleazeballs. Why wouldn’t I?
Oglala Sioux Tribe to enact travel ban related to Covid-19. One president in the United States takes seriously their job and their people.
“Oglala Sioux Tribe President Julian Bear Runner has called an emergency meeting for 10 a.m., Monday to address a travel ban he is enacting for tribal officials due to the world-wide outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID19).
Bear Runner is also asking non-tribal members to refrain from coming onto the Pine Ridge Reservation until the travel restrictions are lifted.
According to a Sunday evening release, Bear Runner said he is suspending all travel for tribal officials.” Rapid City Journal 03.08.20
Without Medicaid and a working real healthcare system, the virus will continue to go undetected in the United States. We do not have test kits and even if we did, who can afford them?
“Educator John McCormick works three jobs to support his family, but healthcare is an ongoing struggle.
He and his fellow public school teachers in West Virginia have gone on strike twice in the past few years. Inadequate health insurance coverage is a big reason why.
But that problem looms even larger now as the coronavirus spreads across the United States.
McCormick, a married father of four, worries about how the outbreak could impact his family’s health and finances.”
There ya go, even with 3 jobs to high of deductibles and out of pocket to do much good in preventing or detecting this pandemic.
Jerry, VP Pence stated in a press conference that insurance will cover the cost of a test. He and the entourage then headed for the door FAST, as questions came about can people WITHOUT insurance pay for the test? There was no answer for that. Again, the rhetoric of the GOP fails under the scrutiny of the reality many are living (without insurance).
I just tried to engage a collection of righties on FB in a discussion of their heroes dismantling of the epidemic response team at CDC. Not a single one of them would do it. It was all -> No he didn’t! No he didn’t! Fake news! You’re a liar!
Not a single person would engage on the substance of the issue. Not one.
BTW, I’m pretty sure they were mostly South Dakotans. Sigh.
Kansas, yes, Kansas! is set to expand Medicaid. National Memo has the brief story.
is.gd/3f6kN8
Indeed o, W. Bush started those lies with the claim that the emergency room would take care of your office visits. Lies and damn lies.
Meanwhile, in Spain, all schools and universities are closed for at least 3 weeks. Here in South Dakota, we’re still playing marbles with rabbit poop