The Blame Game and Deception on DFL Health and Human Service Funding
Posted by David AndersonMay 8, 2009 at 10:51 am
Representatives David Bly’s recent guest column in the Northfield News about funding for hospitals and nursing homes really misleads voters and taxpayers in our district.
This column was Bly pointing fingers and not taking any responsibility for the budget situation we are in. Let’s not kid ourselves - the DFL had a chance to start making changes last session and willfully decided to put off changes making the situation worse. Where was Bly's suggestions and reductions proposed last year when they knew the economy was heading south?
Bly wants you to have empathy and think the sky is falling in on Health and Human Service funding. This is Bly and the DFL attempting to elevate the issue to a huge crisis much like President Obama and Rahm Emanuael prescription of “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
So now for reality! The HHS Spending bill the House DFL passed (HF 1362) increases Health and Human Services spending by $2.2 billion over the last biennium. That is a 20.4% over the 2008-2009 biennium! Hardly the doom and gloom of massive cuts Bly was boasting.
Sources: 2009 HHS Spending and 2007 HHS Spending.
Further, HF1362 does not change eligibility requirements for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare at all. HF1362 calls for a 3 percent cut to long-term care facilities and to hospitals, including reducing reimbursement rates for Medical Assistance and General Assistance Medical Care; and limiting personal care attendant hours to 310 per month per individual.
While Bly and the DFL like to claim the bill CUTS more than $400 million from Health and Human Services REALITY is that instead of increasing $2.6 billion it only increases spending $2.2 billion. HF1362 appropriates $12.96 billion for 2010-11 (20.4 % increase); and $14.71 billion in 2012-13 (13.5% increase) above 2010-11 base spending.
Some other things that Rep. Bly did not tell taxpayers about in the bill include:
- Medical Assistance healthcare for non-citizen pregnant women/childrentwo months of MinnesotaCare;
- Coverage is provided for children without application or verification (presumptive eligibility);
- Assets tests are removed for food stamp program eligibility;
- A whole set of fee increases for licensing including child care centers (in-home and actual centers), day training, and a whole host of others in Article I of the bill that will drive up costs for businesses and taxpayers.;
- Children can indicate interest in enrolling in MA/MNCare on education applications which will automatically apply for health care benefits whether needed or not;
- In Article 6 of the legislation Medical Assistance premiums are increased for those with disabilities that are working and at the same time eligibility is expanded for non-citizens by removing limiting residency and deeming language.
What I would like to know is what solutions is Bly proposing or has proposed? You look at his bill introductions and I would say outside of more spending – Nothing!
Bly voted against proposals that would: open up the health insurance market to the free market and allow more providers to offer coverage which would give Minnesotans greater choice in providers (House Journal Page 4135); increase auditing of spending of Health and Human Services to eliminate the waste and fraud (House Journal Page 4159); that would inform the Legislature of the citizenship status of those receiving welfare benefits; and prohibit funding of abortions with state taxpayer dollars (House Journal Page 4106).
What it really comes down to is priorities. Just like your family at home having to decide which areas of your budget are most important and which are not. The State budget is the same but instead of staying within the guidelines of the resources that are available Bly and the DFL spend more than they have and expect you to make up the difference in tax increases. Bly’s votes show his priority is increasing welfare and out of control budgets over balancing the budget deficit and keeps taxpayers on the hook for abortions.
What legislation did Bly introduce to spur the economy or limit government’s impact on your budget? What legislation did Bly introduce or support that would help the budget, the businesses and families getting squeezed by government overspending and over regulating? What about getting the work done on time?
How will all this welfare and HHS spending program expansions be sustained when the one time federal funding expires? You guessed it – you the taxpayer will be expected to shell out more. Bill reductions do not control HHS spending growth as the Governor’s budget proposes which Bly criticizes. Though many of the Governor recommendations are included, the House is depending on broad tax and fee revenue increases to avoid deeper cuts and to sustain these new and expanded programs into the future.
HHS spending grew by $1.5 billion in the last biennium, is expected to grow by $2.19 billion in the 2010-11 biennium, and $1.7 billion in 2012-13. This is additional spending is unsustainable. The bill spends money to chase federal CHIPRA funding to add new health care enrollees, and at the same time cuts providers. This is bad policy, and indicates the downside of moving towards a government operated system, with yearly expansions of government health care.
This bill increases enrollment on health care programs, beginning with non-citizen pregnant women and children, and including all school children, to meet federal matching health care fund criteria. To expand enrollment, significant outreach measures are imposed to entice school children and their families to enroll in state programs. Just what we need schools doing instead of focusing on educating our children.
Soliciting and increasing enrollment during a state budget deficit is irresponsible, irrational, and disrespectful to the underpaid health care providers that serve public-assisted recipients. Adding more enrollees to public health care programs is costly, and doing so creates future state obligations that are beyond our ability to fund.
Rep. Bly and the DFL continue to blame the governor, claim the sky is falling, and misguide the uninformed reader. As always the truth is in the details just not in what rhetoric Representative Bly and the DFL provide.
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