Gov. Deal's actions result in rural hospital closings

Governor Nathan Deal's actions result in rural hospital closings.   That is a serious charge . . . and unfortunately, it is true.   Here's what happened.

Gov. Deal refused to accept the virtually free Medicaid expansion part of the Affordable Care Act.   In the original Act as passed by congress, the expansion in all states was virtually assured because of the stiff penalties states would pay if they did not expand.   As I remember, it would result in the loss of some or all of the Medicaid funds they already receive from the federal government.

Since then, the governor has also encouraged the legislature to pass, and then he signed, a bill that takes the decision out of the hands of the governor and gives it to the legislature.   Thus he attempted to ensure that subsequent governors could not later do the expansion.   Also it allows him to pretend that he does not have the power to do it -- so how can you blame him?    Duh !!! 

This is a standard Deal-making deal.

But this stupid action has real-life consequences.    Not only does it deny some 600,000 Georgians the health insurance, it also means that Georgia hospitals do not get the federal funds they used to get to help pay for indigent care.    The ACA reduced those funds, because the expected Medicaid expansion would have more than made up for them in income for these hospitals.

This loss of funding has hit rural hospitals particularly hard.   Already four hospitals in Georgia have had to close;  others are faced with sharply curtailing services, such as going to only emergency room coverage.

Besides the individual lack of health coverage, losing these hospitals is a devastating consequence of Gov. Deal's political -- yes, POLITICAL -- decision to thwart President Obama at the expense of needy Georgians, as well as communities that depend on these local hospitals.   Even if you have money to pay, people in these rural communities now will have to travel 40 or 50 miles to the nearest hospital.

And this doesn't even begin to address the loss of all those federal funds coming into the state, the jobs they would create, and the fact that our federal tax dollars go to help pay for the Medicaid expansion in other states -- while we refuse to accept our share of that money.

VOTE  FOR  JASON CARTER 

TO  REPLACE  NATHAN  DEAL  AS  GOVERNOR.

Ralph