By MARSHALL WARD
President, Calloway County Retired Teachers Association
On June 29, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg held that the federal Department for Health and Human Services did not have the authority to approve Gov. Matt Bevin’s request to alter Kentucky’s Medicaid program.
Medicaid is an $11 billion, state-federal health plan here in Kentucky that covers 1.4 million people, including about 600,000 children. The feds cover about 80 percent of the state’s Medicaid funds.
This thinly disguised attempt by the Bevin administration to return to the pre-Affordable Care Act days of sorting "deserving" from "nondeserving" poor was not legal.
This waiver is not needed at all. Study after study reveals that this Medicaid expansion is affordable and provides millions in economic benefits to both public and private sectors in Kentucky.
What happened next? Bevin ordered his administration to end Medicaid expansion if the courts invalidated any part of this requested waiver. That would immediately impact 500,000 people in the Commonwealth.
On July 1, the administration announced the elimination of the dental and vision benefits for 460,000 Medicaid enrollees. Bevin is falsely claiming that the court mandated these cuts.
Again, this is another example of the Bevin administration disobeying the law that clearly states that changes must be approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, followed by filing a state revised statute regulation, holding a public comment period and providing public notice to all affected Medicaid members.
Not only would Bevin’s decision hurt the adult population, which has one of the highest diabetes rates in the nation that can be detected by vision screenings, but many of our children will be thrown off these programs. For the children, tooth decay is the start of a downward spiral for health issues which become increasingly more expensive as adults.
So for the 11 percent of Kentuckians whose coverage is in jeopardy now, the healthcare providers who serve the citizens who qualify, and the rural hospitals who would lose millions, now is the time to demand stability, not cuts, to this vital healthcare program.
“The governor’s actions are vindictive” said Anne Marie Regan, senior counsel with the Kentucky Equal Justice Center. “It’s coming across as hostage-taking…This is not about saving money,” said Dustin Pugel, a policy analyst for the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy in Berea. Dr. Denver Tackett, a Floyd County dentist, called this outcome “Cruel and mean,” adding, “I’m so torn up, I don’t have the words to describe it." He had just turned away children with serious tooth decay.
This whole scenario creates unnecessary stress on the health providers and families. Even a spokesperson for the Bevin administration told Dr. Bill Collins, a Pikeville dentist who called to complain about the cruelty, chaos and confusion, “There’s definitely a glitch in the system, and we have to fix it.”
Locally, Calloway County has 24.7 percent of its citizens in the Medicaid program; Graves County has 35.11 percent; Marshall has 27.07 percent, and McCracken has 31.32 percent. That averages out to about 30 percent of West Kentuckians who are dependent on Medicaid. In raw numbers that is 51,511 out of 172,000 citizens on Medicaid. Many of these people are hardworking, perhaps your neighbor, someone with an elderly relative in a nursing facility, and many are children who go to school and church with your children.
Statewide, the numbers are staggering. According to the Office of Health Policy in the Health and Family Services Cabinet, 1,631,189 out of 4,454,000 of Kentucky’s citizens are on some sort of Medicaid program. That translates to 36.62 percent, or more than 1 in 3 Kentuckians who need assistance. They include children, pregnant women, and disabled adults, all of whom are among our most vulnerable citizens.
The pension system fiasco, Medicaid cuts, and who knows what’s next are just the tip of the iceberg of what these Republicans are willing to take away.
This begs the question: Do we value tax cuts for corporations and wealthy people above our children’s future, caring for the sick, or caring for your neighbor’s health?
Democrats believe health care is not a commodity that you purchase, if you can afford it, but a basic right.
We will Remember In November.
Those with questions about the Medicaid program should call 1-800-635-2570 for assistance.