Sam Brownback plan to close Kansas' huge budget hole

[Ulaven_Demorte]

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is calling all hands on deck to fix his state's huge self-imposed budget crisis, which nearly cost him re-election this year, and the staunch conservative is now receiving an assist from...

Wait for it..

Obamacare!

That's right, after using the ACA as a hammer against his opponent in the last election it turns out that he's more than willing to use money gained because of that legislation to fill the hole in Kansas' budget created by his disasterous economic plans.

The state's well-documented budget troubles came after Brownback's dramatic reductions in taxes since taking office in 2011. With its revenue drying up and cash reserves depleted, Kansas is staring at a $280 million hole in its $6.4 billion 2015 budget, which ends in June.

Brownback offered his proposal for closing that hole last week, a mixture of spending cuts and transferring funds from other parts of the budget to fill it. And second biggest of those transfers is $55 million in revenue from a Medicaid drug rebate program that was bolstered under the Affordable Care Act.

There are no legal restrictions for what states can do with the Medicaid rebate money, it has historically been used to help pay for the state's Medicaid program. But desperate times, desperate measures.

Say it with me Kansas!
Thanks Obama!

 

[Que]

That was also the point of Romney care. Just a legal way to skim more medicare dollars.

Arizona did it too, notably.

And no, none of that shows fiscal integrity.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

That was also the point of Romney care. Just a legal way to skim more medicare dollars.

Arizona did it too, notably.

And no, none of that shows fiscal integrity.

Brownback has so royally fucked Kansas' state budget that his plan to try to alleviate the debt he caused is to take money that would normally be earmarked for medicaid in his state (which has increased by about $30 million over last year) and use it to try to close the budget gap. This along with spending cuts... knowing him they're cuts to medicaid and therefore a double whammy on lower income people of Kansas.

 

[Disgustipated]

Brownback has so royally fucked Kansas' state budget that his plan to try to alleviate the debt he caused is to take money that would normally be earmarked for medicaid in his state (which has increased by about $30 million over last year) and use it to try to close the budget gap. This along with spending cuts... knowing him they're cuts to medicaid and therefore a double whammy on lower income people of Kansas.

People have been saying Romney Care and the Obama ACA were so different though? Q-Bert fail.

 

[RobDownSouth]

People have been saying Romney Care and the Obama ACA were so different though? Q-Bert fail.

Intellectual consistency was never one of Q-bert's strong points.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

People have been saying Romney Care and the Obama ACA were so different though? Q-Bert fail.

Intellectual consistency was never one of Q-bert's strong points.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/07f22dad04f203cf206881139491d0f1/tumblr_mkaqreZbWg1qh8rq6o1_500.gif

Ooopsies!

 

[someoneyouknow]

The only ones who have won under Obamneycare are the insurance companies. Since (most) people are required to hand over their money to a company (not a tax), insurance companies can charge pretty much whatever they want knowing people will have to pay.

Even better, if you do have to file a claim, they make you pay even more money before they spend one penny of the money they've already been paid for just such a situation.

Back on topic, Brownback is doing the exact same thing our outgoing governor Tom Corbett did to try and balance the budget: one time money transfers to claim he didn't have to raise taxes (except on gas which goes up another 10 cents on Thursday or the rise in various licensing fees).

I'm still waiting for all those fiscally responsible Republicans we keep hearing about to make an appearance.

 

[oxphocker]

someoneyouknow: You do know that one of the lines in the ACA is that insurance companies have to spend at least 80 percent of your premium on healthcare or they have to rebate the difference? Before then, there was no minimum standard.

 

[someoneyouknow]

someoneyouknow: You do know that one of the lines in the ACA is that insurance companies have to spend at least 80 percent of your premium on healthcare or they have to rebate the difference? Before then, there was no minimum standard.

So essentially it's like getting a refund back from the IRS. You get your money back but without interest, money which could have been used in other, more essential ways.

It doesn't change the fact that (most) people are still forced to hand over their money to a private company whether they want to or not.

Again, the only people benefiting are the insurance companies. Everyone else just has to bend over and take it.

Like the people of Kansas who have been given a front row seat on how to be screwed by trickle down economics. Put another way, when the head monkey sits at the top of the tree, it ain't scraps of food trickling down.

 

[Que]

someoneyouknow: You do know that one of the lines in the ACA is that insurance companies have to spend at least 80 percent of your premium on healthcare or they have to rebate the difference? Before then, there was no minimum standard.

No insurance company in their wettest of dreams hopes to retain 20% of premiums. It is a fig leaf to make it look like the ACA was not written b and for the major insurance carriers.

 

[RobDownSouth]

someoneyouknow: You do know that one of the lines in the ACA is that insurance companies have to spend at least 80 percent of your premium on healthcare or they have to rebate the difference? Before then, there was no minimum standard.

Thank you for pointing this out. There's been a lot of angst, sturm und drang both here and on the General Board (mostly, but not always, from toubab and Botany Boy) about the increased revenues of insurance companies.

Many fail to realize that the 80 percent payout prevents undue profiteering.
And yes, queerbait, I recognize "undue" is subjective.