Tim Jones: Why we voted against Medicaid expansion

In his most recent newsletter, Speaker of the House Tim Jones, R-Eureka, tells why he and his colleagues voted against Medicaid expansion.

Often, we look retrospectively at decisions we have made.  I am sure you can think of a time that you made a decision that was, in hindsight, not such a great one.  While speaking with constituents about government activity in Jefferson City or Washington, D.C., I often hear, “Why did they not see that coming?” Many times it is true; the government waits until it is too late to make the right decisions because of political consequences.  This week, your Republican-led legislature made a strong commitment to not giving in to the politically-expedient, easy path and made a decision that was in the public’s best long term interest.

 Old Medicaid Expansion

The left, and those who do not take a long term, responsible economic view, have a grand, new idea on how to drastically diminish your kids’ and grandkids’ future earnings in the name of “doing the right thing” and “doing the smart thing”.  It is called Medicaid Expansion.  The idea has been to utilize more borrowed federal money to make promises to able-bodied adults that they will have “free” healthcare.  Never mind that Medicaid has poor health outcomes and trying to use a Medicaid card to gain access to a doctor’s office might as well be nothing more than handing someone a piece of plastic worth nothing. 

 At the state level, Democrats have jumped for joy.  Governor Nixon and his liberal allies in the legislature think it is the greatest economic package they have ever seen.  So, for history’s sake, let us recall how many times on the campaign trail our governor proposed expanding Medicaid as the smart thing to do.  The answer is zero.  In fact, in each of Governor Nixon’s years in office before this one, he never once said that expanding Medicaid eligibility was the “smart” or “right” thing to do.  Apparently, it is only smart and right if the federal government pays for it with billions of dollars of more borrowed money.
 A Budget Buster
 

Instead of being smart or right, this proposal actually adds billions to the federal deficit and exposes Missouri to more reliance on the federal government which, as a recent highly respected economic publication pointed out, places our triple-A credit rating in danger. The Democrats’ plan for Medicaid expansion has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of revenues available for future legislators to be able to appropriately fund long-term priorities like an educated citizenry.  This week, your Republican-led legislature was forward thinking.  Instead of giving in to the easy option of forsaking your future for today’s politically easy choices, we voted to be wise, prudent, and fiscally-responsible.  Those are mandates you sent us here to live up to.  Those are mandates we will uphold.