Cost of Medicaid Expansion

by Sen. Theresa Manzella, SD44, Hamilton

I remember when being a millionaire was a big deal. 

We manage our entire annual state budget in billions – about 6.3 per fiscal year. Official detailed report can be found here – https://leg.mt.gov/lfd/publications/ 

Our National Debt is over $30 trillion. That’s a lot of zeros, and zeros matter!

For reference – one million pennies stacked on top of each other would make a tower 1 mile high.

One billion pennies stacked on top of each other would make a tower 870 miles high.

One trillion pennies stacked on top of each other would make a tower 870 thousand miles high, or the distance of going to the moon, back to earth, and back to the moon again.

Yes, ZEROS MATTER.

Speaking of BILLIONS, let’s take a look at how the PERMANENT Medicaid Expansion budget projections are shaping up when compared to the actual costs in the chart below.

As our citizens may recall, they were given an opportunity to fund Medicaid Expansion through a 30% tax on the tobacco industry through the passage or denial of ballot initiative I-185 in Nov of 2018. Our savvy, independent Montana citizens REJECTED the initiative. I was beaming with pride because it was a clear indication of our citizens’ fiscal conservatism, commitment to limited government, personal responsibility principles and Constitutional awareness.

But sadly, when the legislature convened in Jan of 2019, the big government loving, solutions caucus Republicans, of which Nancy Ballance, Dave Bedey and Sharon Greef are members, teamed up with the Democrats to pass HB658, making Obamacare Medicaid Expansion PERMANENT, and NULLIFYING the will of the citizens.

Not only was it predicted to be extremely costly, but “we’ve” undershot our projected PERMANENT Medicaid Expansion costs by a mere $1,482,151,359.00 since 2016 – that’s BILLION! For one program! No mistake there!

But, hey! The hospitals are rolling in dough thanks to the passage of this bill!

The passage of Permanent Obamacare Medicaid Expansion has been a financial disaster, far worse than ever anticipated. But even worse is the negative impact it’s imposed on the doctor-patient relationship, as doctors struggle to balance their Hippocratic oath and a patient’s right to self-determination with payment coding schedules and pharmaceutical incentives. Obamacare has slowly destroyed the doctor-patient relationship and replaced it with the government-patient relationship. Welcome to socialized medicine.

If our citizens like having their vote nullified by their Legislative Representatives – vote for Rusk and Bedey, as they’ve made it perfectly clear through word and deed that they support Big Government.

If our citizens actually BELIEVE in Constitutional/Republican principles of limited government and personal responsibility, vote Lackey for HD88 and Jones for HD86, because VOTING RECORDS MATTER AND ELECTIONS MATTER!