Our View Don’t be fooled Arkansas’ Medicaid funding still a mess

Our View

Don’t be fooled Arkansas’ Medicaid funding still a mess

The headline reads, “Medicaid expansion’s rolls shrink again,” as if we, as taxpayers, are suppose to get all excited, when in fact of the matter is that there are still 307,155 Arkansans enrolled in the government subsidized health care program, that was supposed to peak out at about 250,000 when Arkansas decided to get into the health care business.

Furthermore, the reduction can be directly attributed to long overdue improvements to the eligibility review process at the state Department of Human Services, specifically the effective information technology system.

Oh, bureaucrats and proponents of the state’s version of the failed Obamacare also say some of the decrease in the state’s program, called Arkansas Works, could also be because participants are finding jobs, which may be because DHS staff send enrollees information about state job training and placement programs.

While the number of Arkansans depending upon this government subsidy is declining there is still a serious concern about the cost of Medicaid expansion.

Remember, the federal government paid the full cost of the state’s expansion when this mess began under the Obama administration from 2014 through 2016.

Now, Arkansas taxpayers are responsible for 5 percent of the cost in January. And, the state’s share of the cost will increase to 6 percent next year, then continue rising each year until it reaches 10 percent in 2020.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and his administration is concerned knowing that during the fiscal year than ended June 30, the expansion’s cost totaled more than $1.9 BILLION, with the federal government paying all but $48.6 million.

The program’s projected cost this fiscal year is estimated to be $1.8 BILLION, with the state forking over $100 million.

Hutchinson has been working diligently to come up with ways to address this enormous financial burden that has been placed on the state’s taxpayers. One way that has been pitched for approval from the federal government is to move about 60,000 Arkansas off the program, starting Jan. 1, by limiting eligibility to those with incomes up to the poverty level.

Hutchinson is also seeking approval to impose a work requirement on many of those enrollees who would remain in the program, something that should result in many people obtaining the ability to pay for their own health care coverage without depending upon government health care subsidies that is costing taxpayers $429.95 a month per-enrollee.

It is ironic that while Hutchinson is finding ways to reduce the number of Medicaid enrollees and cutting costs, some state board has just approved spending $555,391 on 11 so-called outreach workers, also know as navigators, to help Arkansas sign up for the state’s health insurance program.

This contract calls for appropriating this money through September 30 to supply these 11 workers who will be paid $13.50 an hour, as well as a manager who will be paid $25 an hour.

Isn’t it interesting that this is all going on in our little state of Arkansas while our do-nothing Republican politicians in Washington are sitting on their lazy duffs doing absolutely nothing to fulfill their promise for seven years to do away with this failed Obamacare mess?