Arizona Governor Tells Baucus: We Can't Afford Your Health Care Reform

PHOENIX -- Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said Tuesday that the state of Arizona, which has been dealing with the highest per capita deficit in the nation, cannot afford the health care reform plan proposed by Senator Max Baucus of Montana.

"I am concerned that the proposals under consideration thus far do not consider the fiscal difficulties states are facing and are likely to continue over the next few years. I hoped your plan would appropriately address state concerns," Brewer wrote in a letter to Baucus, a Democrat.

Brewer points out that Arizona has been hit particularly hard by the current recession, and a recovery in Arizona is still in the horizon. Meanwhile, she says, the state's Medicaid costs continue to rise. She wrote:

At this time, one in five Arizonans is covered through the Medicaid program, and we expect Medicaid enrollment to remain at elevated and unsustainable levels through the near future. Arizona cannot afford our current Medicaid system.

The Baucus bill includes mandates for states to offer Medicaid eligibility to more people by setting higher income limits. Because Arizona already has income requirements that are set higher than other states, Arizona would not be eligible for a higher level of federal funding intended for states that haven't already raised income limits.

Brewer closes by imploring Baucus to reconsider unfunded mandates for state governments:

I want to reiterate my opposition to these unfunded mandates on states. I implore you to bear in mind the fiscal realities states are facing as we attempt to maintain responsible balanced budgets while preserving services for our most vulnerable residents.

Read the complete letter here.

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Comments

[dfranz]

Arizona, the land of barely makin it wages.

Maybe they'll pass the opt out plan Governor, then you can just opt out and screw your working stiff citizens. Ever since you bacame a "Right to work" state, they've been getting screwed anyway. Afterall those are just the little people and a lot of them are Mexicans anyway.

[guyinAZ]

If Brewer is right about Obamacare costing the states, then we must oppose it. States like Arizona have been punished enough by unfunded mandates.

[nomobull]

IT'S NOT OBAMACARE AND USING THIS TERMINOLOGY LIKE THIS MAKES YOUR POINT POINTLESS.

[bannorhill]

All of the bills proposed so far cost more per person than private health insurance.

Where is the promised cost savings?

[Altruth]

Proof please - Book, chapter and verse?

[bannorhill]

The Baucus bill.

Cost $829 Billion for the next 10 years.
Coverage starts after 4 years.
Years the $829 Billion provides coverage 6 years.

It will cover 94% of Americans.
Americans without coverage under the bill 6% (18 million).
Americans currently without coverage 30 million.
People gaining coverage by this bill 12 million.

$829 billion cost divided by 12 million covered = $69,000 cost per person for 6 years coverage.

$69,000 cost per person divided by 6 years =$11,500 cost per person per year
$46,000 Cost per year for a family of four.

My total family insurance including the company contribution is $9,000 per year.

This program costs over FIVE TIMES what my insurance costs.
It costs 86% of the average family income to insure that family.

Where are the savings?

[Billl]

The logic for throwing out all health care efforts to date and starting over could be demonstrated if the President and Legislators would allow a CBO report comparing proposed reforms and anything else, to the huge savings that only government hospitals based on the VA format can achieve, and showing the savings that only sales tax funding would produce instead of using private insurance to pay for health services.

Providing health care efficiently saves lives and saves money.

Nobody can collect the money to pay for health care as cheaply as the government can through a national sales tax, and nobody can deliver high quality care and medications as cost effectively as the VA.

Two choices should be offered to everyone to use either; free public care from a new national health care system, or alternatively to use privately purchased private care.

Everyone choosing public care could have it no restrictions, no insurance, no co pays, free period.
Employers who select public care for their employees would not be required to pay for or have any further involvement with health care.

A National Health Care System could also take over states and local government’s health care systems to assure operating standards and relieve local funding problems while providing total transferability for patients.

Let’s compare this common sense dual system that would allow unlimited choices, ultimate freedom, while saving taxpayers billions, and always free public care would be available, to the reforms being proposed by Mr. Baucus’s legislation, or anyone.

[PlaceboStudman]

You're right, we can't afford the Baucus "Health Care" bill. We can't afford any of the bills that are currently being bantied around as so called "Health Care" bills.

Now, we may be able to pay for one of the proposals, or the bill that will likely be the end resulting hybrid of all of the current proposals being bantied around

But, we absolutely can not afford, in terms of human lives lost, and increased suffering, any bill that addresses insurance reform (ie cost) that does not also address medicine and technology reform ie CARE

In fact, these proposals should not even be called Health Care proposals at all, or even Health Insurance reform, but simple economic recovery through insurance reform, because these proposals have no intention of saving lives or reducing physical suffering, only make it cheaper and easier to get treated once we are already sick, at which point, isn't it kind of too late?

[rrowleyarizona1]

More over Jan Brewer is NOT our Governor, she's nothing but a VERY unpopular bench warmer. Brewer will be replaced with an elected Democrat in November 2010..till then she speaks only for herself...NOT the people of Arizona.