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Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes. My comments in bold.
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(I have already demolished these Medicaid expansion arguments here, here, and here. Given the frequent editorials and AP articles published in the Chronicle, with very few voices of dissent, it would appear that the paper is engaging in advocacy. I will therefore avail myself of every opportunity to counter the propaganda here in my blog.)
I want SB
395 to reach the governor’s desk. This week, Democrats and a few Republicans
showed the foresight, intelligence, and commitment to our state that we
expect from our elected officials when the Montana Senate passed the Medicaid
expansion by a vote of 26-24. Medicaid expansion is one of the most important
proposals before our Legislature this session, and as the Legislature is
entering its last weeks, I am so thankful that it is on the move!
Simply put, Medicaid expansion would result in 70,000 Montanans with access to affordable health care and 13,000 jobs created in our communities and state. (Please read the above links for a debunking of these fake benefits.) The trickle down benefits (Whoa, did she just advocate trickle down? I thought trickle down was a failed experiment. I thought President Reagan was a buffoon for believing that economic benefits at the top trickle down throughout the economy. And now we have a sadly misinformed letter writer who thinks that trickle down only works if it is government money.) of these populations are incredible and mean healthier families and communities, a boost for our economy, and an improved future for our state. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity, and we need to send SB 395 to the governor’s desk as soon as possible. ==========================
(Though I won't comment on the guest editorial below, since it simply regurgitates the same talking points, I did want to publish it in order to note for the record that even accomplished business people have bought in to the inane logic of the Medicaid expansionists. I am pretty sure that I will never again frequent the businesses of these folks.)
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Economy reason enough to support Medicaid
expansion
By BILL JOHNSTONE, DEAN FOLKVORD AND RAY KUNTZ
This week is the deadline for the Montana House and Senate to pass a Medicaid expansion bill from one chamber to the other. As business leaders deeply committed to the health of Montana’s economy and workforce, we strongly support accepting federal funds to expand eligibility for the state’s Medicaid program. While there are several reasons for our support, we want to emphasize one — the substantial, positive and long-term impact on economic growth and job creation that Medicaid expansion will produce in
comparison to the investment required by the state.
The independent Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research has produced a thorough, well-supported, and thoughtful economic analysis of the potential economic ramifications of Medicaid expansion in Montana. The essential findings of the analysis are these:
Over the first eight years, expansion would bring approximately $6 billion of new funds into the state — on average, roughly $750 million per year. Montana would very quickly create and sustain 12,000 to 14,000 new highpaying jobs. To place that in context, that’s 30 percent more than the existing total mining and logging jobs in the state.
Montana would provide health care insurance, and all the health and societal benefits that come with it, to approximately 60,000 to 70,000 Montanans.
And what does Montana need to contribute to receive these substantial economic benefits for our people? For the first three years, federal funding would cover 100 percent of the costs, other than relatively small
administrative costs. Over the first eight years, we need to contribute roughly $70 million per year. However, based on the bureau’s analysis, between reduced uncompensated care costs and increased state and local tax revenues from the expanded economic activity, the net present value cost to Montana is roughly ... $0.
In our businesses, we make investment decisions every day based on cost/benefit analysis and return on investment. As a business decision, the proposed expansion of Medicaid clearly makes sense.
We also believe there are other business reasons to support expansion. Most Montana businesses incur substantial costs in order to offer health insurance to their employees. Those costs are driven higher for businesses because we all pay part of the price for uncompensated care for the uninsured. In 2011, Montana health care providers were uncompensated for over $400 million worth of health care to the uninsured. That uncompensated care results in cost-shifting to businesses, taxpayers, and individual consumers of private insurance. Expanding eligibility to Medicaid would reduce uncompensated care by approximately $104 million from 2014 to 2021.
The result: lower health care costs for all of us.
We appreciate that the Affordable Care Act is controversial and was opposed by many. How we pay for and deliver quality health care to our citizens will continue to be one of our greatest challenges and the topic
of considerable discussion and debate. Undoubtedly, the dialogue will continue, and the public and private solutions to our health care needs will evolve. If and when those changes occur, our state and our businesses
will need to respond and adapt.
However, at present the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Our businesses and citizens will pay the incremental taxes and penalties imposed by the Act irrespective of whether Montana opts in to Medicaid
expansion. It would be especially unfair and illogical for Montanans to pay their fair share of these costs, and be denied the benefits we have helped fund.
Lawmakers on both sides of aisle have often and sincerely pledged that jobs and the economy are their number one priority. We hope they will thoughtfully and objectively consider the unique opportunity before us to substantially increase good paying jobs, meaningfully expand economic activity in the state, cut costs for businesses, and positively impact our citizens and the state we all love. As the head of the state Chamber of
Commerce in another conservative state recently put it, “This is not a political issue; it’s an economic issue.” We hope the Montana Legislature will reach the same conclusion.
Bill Johnstone is CEO of Davidson Companies in Great Falls, Dean Folkvord is CEO of Wheat Montana Farms and Bakery in Three Forks, and Ray Kuntz is CEO of Watkins & Shepard Trucking in Helena. The above views are not official positions of their companies, but the viewpoints of the individuals.
By BILL JOHNSTONE, DEAN FOLKVORD AND RAY KUNTZ
This week is the deadline for the Montana House and Senate to pass a Medicaid expansion bill from one chamber to the other. As business leaders deeply committed to the health of Montana’s economy and workforce, we strongly support accepting federal funds to expand eligibility for the state’s Medicaid program. While there are several reasons for our support, we want to emphasize one — the substantial, positive and long-term impact on economic growth and job creation that Medicaid expansion will produce in
comparison to the investment required by the state.
The independent Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research has produced a thorough, well-supported, and thoughtful economic analysis of the potential economic ramifications of Medicaid expansion in Montana. The essential findings of the analysis are these:
Over the first eight years, expansion would bring approximately $6 billion of new funds into the state — on average, roughly $750 million per year. Montana would very quickly create and sustain 12,000 to 14,000 new highpaying jobs. To place that in context, that’s 30 percent more than the existing total mining and logging jobs in the state.
Montana would provide health care insurance, and all the health and societal benefits that come with it, to approximately 60,000 to 70,000 Montanans.
And what does Montana need to contribute to receive these substantial economic benefits for our people? For the first three years, federal funding would cover 100 percent of the costs, other than relatively small
administrative costs. Over the first eight years, we need to contribute roughly $70 million per year. However, based on the bureau’s analysis, between reduced uncompensated care costs and increased state and local tax revenues from the expanded economic activity, the net present value cost to Montana is roughly ... $0.
In our businesses, we make investment decisions every day based on cost/benefit analysis and return on investment. As a business decision, the proposed expansion of Medicaid clearly makes sense.
We also believe there are other business reasons to support expansion. Most Montana businesses incur substantial costs in order to offer health insurance to their employees. Those costs are driven higher for businesses because we all pay part of the price for uncompensated care for the uninsured. In 2011, Montana health care providers were uncompensated for over $400 million worth of health care to the uninsured. That uncompensated care results in cost-shifting to businesses, taxpayers, and individual consumers of private insurance. Expanding eligibility to Medicaid would reduce uncompensated care by approximately $104 million from 2014 to 2021.
The result: lower health care costs for all of us.
We appreciate that the Affordable Care Act is controversial and was opposed by many. How we pay for and deliver quality health care to our citizens will continue to be one of our greatest challenges and the topic
of considerable discussion and debate. Undoubtedly, the dialogue will continue, and the public and private solutions to our health care needs will evolve. If and when those changes occur, our state and our businesses
will need to respond and adapt.
However, at present the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Our businesses and citizens will pay the incremental taxes and penalties imposed by the Act irrespective of whether Montana opts in to Medicaid
expansion. It would be especially unfair and illogical for Montanans to pay their fair share of these costs, and be denied the benefits we have helped fund.
Lawmakers on both sides of aisle have often and sincerely pledged that jobs and the economy are their number one priority. We hope they will thoughtfully and objectively consider the unique opportunity before us to substantially increase good paying jobs, meaningfully expand economic activity in the state, cut costs for businesses, and positively impact our citizens and the state we all love. As the head of the state Chamber of
Commerce in another conservative state recently put it, “This is not a political issue; it’s an economic issue.” We hope the Montana Legislature will reach the same conclusion.
Bill Johnstone is CEO of Davidson Companies in Great Falls, Dean Folkvord is CEO of Wheat Montana Farms and Bakery in Three Forks, and Ray Kuntz is CEO of Watkins & Shepard Trucking in Helena. The above views are not official positions of their companies, but the viewpoints of the individuals.
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