What is the truth, Nancy?

By Kathy Love, Hamilton

I have a few questions for Nancy Ballance. I have worked in a healthcare profession for 35 years. I have seen firsthand the lack of oversight in Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion. You have said yourself that there is lack of oversight. You have said that you know there is abuse in the system. When ME first got passed I know people that were pushed onto Medicaid, through the Affordable Care Act site, that didn’t want to be on it and shouldn’t be on it. That was the only option they were given. I know firsthand of people that have affordable insurance through their employers and make too much money and yet are on Medicaid. Once people are on Medicaid there is no oversight on change of circumstances. It seems that once on it, always on it. Under Medicaid Expansion, the Federal government matches us 9 to 1 on dollars but does that money go toward actual treatment costs? We lose money every time a person on Medicaid walks through our door. How is it, then, that ME is propping up rural hospitals? If the provider is getting reimbursed at less than the cost of treatment, then that means there is some funny accounting going on, kickbacks, or the rest of the people are taking the brunt of it. You and I both know that when providers get less than the cost of treatment someone makes up the difference. If you want to really help people how about addressing the fact that hard working people are paying as much as $2500 per month for insurance with a $10,000 deductible? How did the salaries of some of the hospital CEO’s suddenly surge and in some cases double after ME? The bottom line is that the people that sent you to Helena voted against Medicaid Expansion. You, however, thought you knew better. Hopefully they don’t send you there again.