William Batchelder has cited a lack of clarity to explain House Republicans removing the expansion of Medicaid from their two-year state budget plan. A week ago, the speaker pointed to considerable concern about exactly what it is we re facing.

On Friday, Mike Abrams, the president and chief executive of the Ohio Hospital Association, hardly could have been more clear, or concrete, about why his organization supports the expansion. Testifying before the House Finance Appropriations Committee, he offered a reminder to lawmakers about what the federal government is thinking. By expanding Medicaid to cover all households and individuals up to 138 percent of the poverty level, the feds will reduce the number of uninsured. That, in turn, translates into less uncompensated care, fewer people,http://www.lvase.com/, for instance, using hospital emergency rooms. So, Washington plans to spend a much smaller amount helping hospitals pay for such treatment.

As Abrams pointed out, Ohio hospitals will see a $7.4 billion reduction in federal money for uncompensated care during the next decade.

And if Ohio says no to the Medicaid expansion? It would lose twice, many of the poor and vulnerable missing an opportunity for steady health coverage and local hospitals losing the cushion of federal dollars to help pay for uncompensated care.

What would be the fallout? Abrams put it directly: Ohio hospitals would slash services and jobs to make ends meet. The burden would be especially heavy for small rural hospitals. Rejecting the Medicaid expansion would deal a severe blow to hospitals,Gucci Bags, often leading employers and generous contributors in their communities.

In many ways, the trouble wouldn t stop at hospitals. Say no to the expansion, and the infusion of federal money,gucci outlet, and Ohio would give up much in economy activity,http://www.pilewu.com/tomsshoes.html/, an estimated 28,000 new jobs, according to a report released last week by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.

On Thursday, Speaker Batchelder stressed that he and his colleagues don t believe that the federal government is going to have the money to do this, cover 100 percent of the expansion cost and ultimately 90 percent going forward. A day later at the House hearing, state Rep. Ron Maag warned that this country could become another Greece. Not really, starting with the good fortune of having our own currency and the economy here expanding, albeit too slowly,pilewu.com/tomsshoes.

If Washington faces a long-term deficit and debt challenge,Prada Outlet, the current realities of low interest rates and continued foreign investment signal confidence. More, the country is going to spend money treating the uninsured,true religion outlet, anyway. What the Medicaid expansion provides is the opening to bring millions into a system designed to slow the growth in health spending. That path is evident in the work of Greg Moody and others in the Governor s Office of Health Transformation, where they have come to a clear conclusion about Medicaid expansion serving the interests of Ohio. Related articles:

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