If only covering 590,000+ uninsured Michiganders helped the children of billionaires
When Governor Rick Snyder suddenly put a law designed to cripple unions on his agenda, he said that it would make the state more “attractive” to new businesses. But he still hasn’t been able to name one company who has moved into the state because of his historic decision to go down a path that has been proven to lower wages and increase poverty. Snyder even recently admitted that passing so-called “Right to Work” legislation wasn’t about the economy at all.
So I imagine mini-Romney is pretty desperate to create some new jobs before he had to run a re-election campaign entirely on the basis of taking credit for the president’s auto rescue.
Here’s a solution. Accept Medicaid expansion now.
How many jobs will Medicaid expansion create? It wouldn’t have to be many to beat “Right to Work.” A study shows that the program will bring 22,000 good jobs to Missouri, a state that has less than 2/3 the population of Michigan. The same study said the state would LOSE 9,000 jobs without expansion.
We can assume Medicaid expansion will bring at least 30,000 new jobs to Michigan. Can Governor Snyder name one policy he’s passed that has created that many jobs?
Additionally, it will save Michigan $1 billion over the next ten years and bring $30 billion into the state. At this point, that’s $30 billion more than union-busting legislation had brought in.
Michigan’s doctors say they’re ready to increase their capacity, primarily because they know they already serve the uninsured in the dumbest possible way — through emergency rooms. And when the uninsured can’t pay, you do.
Michiganders currently pay a $1,000 shadow tax a year to cover the uninsured and that number will go up if Snyder doesn’t accept expansion. And while the governor can choose not to cover the citizens of the state, legal immigrants will be covered already and we’ll still be paying for the other states that are smart enough to expand Medicaid.
The choice is simple. If Snyder says “no,” he’s killing jobs and letting Michigan’s middle class pay the costs of the uninsured.
If he says “yes,” he’ll finally have done something to create good middle class jobs.
The only problem is that Medicaid expansion benefits working Michiganders and not billionaires who benefit when workers earn less and can’t afford health insurance.
Unfortunately, Snyder has proven again and again that his agenda only has room for policies that help billionaires. Will this time be any different?
