Legislature Should Do The Right Thing

EXTENDING MEDICAID HEALTH COVERAGE MAKES SENSE FROM AN ECONOMIC, HUMANITARIAN PERSPECTIVE

“For I was sick and you took care of me …”

“Lord, when was it that we saw you sick …?”

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me.”There is some good news coming down the pike for some of “the least of these.”

Medicaid is extending to cover people who earn up to 138 percent of the poverty level. That means an individual earning $15,414 or less will qualify for health care coverage, and a family of four with income no more than $31,809 will have insurance. Most of these are working people who generally can’t aff ord health insurance.

Jobs at such low pay grades do not usually include health benefi ts.

Private insurance costs an average of $12,000 for afamily of four. There are a lot of Arkansas families who can’t pay about 40 percent of their income for insurance and still pay rent, utilities, food, clothing, transportation and other essentials.

So it is Good News for some of “the least of these” that Medicaid is extending to cover them, but only if our Arkansas Legislature recognizes a good thing when it sees and votes to authorize this benefi t.

Extending Medicaid is a good deal for Arkansas. The federal government will pick up the full cost of the newcoverage for three years.

After that, the feds will pick up 90 percent of the costs.

That’s hard to beat.

We want our federal tax dollars to come back to us.

If our Legislature chooses not to participate, we’ll just be sending our money to other states that will want to help their citizens.

Look at the benefi ts. More than 200,000 uninsured adults will have health coverage. That’s more than the combined population of Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers.

When they are sick, they’ll be able to get care. When they are worried about symptoms, they can check it out before it becomes something serious or lifethreatening. They can go to a doctor’s oft ce or clinic, instead of an emergency room. Healthier workers make a more eft cient and productive workplace, and happier families.

The Department of Healthestimates hospitals will save millions on uncompensated care. Those are costs that are now swallowed by the hospitals or passed along to us paying customers - those $5-a-pill aspirins.

The Medicaid enhancement will be a welcome income generator in this slow economy.

Hospitals and health facilities are among the largest employers in many towns.

A study by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas showed that every dollar the state of Arkansas spends on Medicaid generates $6.31 of total economic impact;

each dollar turns over more than six times. This is good business.

Medicaid and Medicare are America’s most eft cient health insurance programs.

While private sector health insurance companies typically spend 15 percentto 19 percent and more on nonmedical expenses (sales, administration, profi ts), Medicare and Medicaid works on only 2 percent overhead, returning 98 cents of every dollar to health care benefi ts.

Maybe you were one of those who got a check from your insurance company recently. The Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) requires insurance companies to limit the money from your premiums that they spend on nonhealth care purposes to 15 percent or 20 percent.

If they fail, they have to send you a refund for the excess. I know a lot of people who have received these refunds.

For those of us who are pro-life, you’ll be glad to know states that adopt the new Medicaid will save lives. A recent Harvard study shows a 6.1 percent decline in deaths in states that have adoptedthe extension compared with the death rates in comparable states that didn’t. By that measure, over a thousand lives would be saved in Arkansas.

Who could be against this?

Big benefits. No cost for three years. Get $9 for every $1 spent thereafter.

Health care access for hard-working people who have been unable to aff ord it. An economic boost for our whole system.

More preventative care.

Less crowded emergency rooms. Stronger hospitals.

A healthier state. This is a good thing.

And it is the right thing to do.

“Lord, when was it that we saw you sick…?”

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me.” LOWELL GRISHAM IS AN EPISCOPAL PRIEST WHO LIVES IN FAYETTEVILLE.

Opinion, Pages 13 on 09/02/2012

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