GOV. MCCRORY’S SUPPORTERS OPPOSE MEDICAID EXPANSION IN NORTH CAROLINA
- BY FGA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GOV. MCCRORY’S SUPPORTERS OPPOSE MEDICAID EXPANSION IN NORTH CAROLINA
MOST NORTH CAROLINIANS AND MCCRORY DON’T BELIEVE FEDS WILL KEEP THEIR END OF THE BARGAIN, CASTING HUGE DOUBTS ABOUT ‘FREE’ MONEY
Nearly 60 percent of North Carolinian voters who support Gov. Pat McCrory oppose expanding the state’s Medicaid program to cover working-age adults without children, and any alternative plans are hugely unpopular with McCrory’s supporters, says a Foundation for Government Accountability poll released today.
This comes right after an election that saw voters send pro-ObamaCare and pro-expansion candidates packing in droves. The massive anti-ObamaCare shift in Congress could have huge implications for North Carolina’s already troubled Medicaid system, especially if the state foolishly pursues expansion plans.
“The feds love to promise money but have a strong history of breaking those promises. The new anti-ObamaCare majorities in Congress have also pledged to undo ObamaCare, including the Medicare cuts that fund this massive expansion of Medicaid, in North Carolina and elsewhere. That means North Carolina taxpayers will trapped paying the bill for this massive, unfunded welfare expansion,” said FGA CEO Tarren Bragdon.
“This is one place both the Congress and the President have already expressed some common ground.”
When initially considering Medicaid expansion before there was a Republican controlled Congress, McCrory expressed concerns about the federal government’s commitment to keep its obligations to North Carolina.
“Due to the ongoing political uncertainty of the federal budget deficit, there is long-term concern regarding the federal government’s continuing of its obligation for matching funds under the terms of the Medicaid expansion,” said McCrory in a statement from Feb. 2013.
Those concerns are exacerbated once people see the costs of the expansion plan alternatives being promoted by different groups in North Carolina. The POWER Account plan, which uses a taxpayer-funded account to provide health care to working-age adults with no children or disabilities, and the Arkansas-style ‘Private Option’ plan leave Tarheel taxpayers on the hook for any and all cost overruns in the program. And if Arkansas’ experience is any indication, their program already costs $778 million more than initially projected, there will be plenty of debt to go around the state.
“ObamaCare is clearly a loser for the leadership and the people of North Carolina, and there is no reason for Republicans to find creative ways to expand this disaster,” said Bragdon.
“How many teachers are you willing to fire and how many schools are you willing to close when the feds quit paying their end and Medicaid expansion gobbles the state budget?”
The FGA’s poll can be viewed here.
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