Gov. Bobby Jindal is at it again: leading on the principles of his ultra-conservative base in hopes that his political posturing efforts will boost his shot at contending for the presidential office in 2016.
While this obviously isn’t anything new — from starving our state education and hospital systems with egregious budget cuts to his tax proposals that would give tax breaks to the rich by disproportionally burdening the poor — Jindal continues to impress with each next stunt.
Indeed, Jindal’s rejection of Federal Medicaid expansion is ridiculous. Jackson-Hewitt tax services company, a firm that would actually benefit from the new law as more people would be filing taxes, released a new report saying it could cost Louisiana employers up to $77.6 million a year.
And keep in mind that Jindal’s opposition to Medicaid expansion would keep health coverage from being extended to Louisiana residents up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or $15,864 for one person.
Well, if Jindal insists on denying up to 400,000 Louisiana residents access to Medicaid and hurting our economy, he better have a rock-solid reason for doing so, right?
It’s a bit too early for April Fool’s jokes.
Yes, as a matter of principle — and hubris — Jindal’s basis behind refusing to provide for low-income residents without access to healthcare is that it is “too costly for the states” and that insurance is better handled by private companies.
This notion of high costs is illogical, as the federal government will be picking up the full tab for the first three years. And even after that, the cost is negligible, with each state paying just 10 percent of the cost.
And as an added slap in the face, if Louisiana does not participate, the portion of the federal money that pays for the program will be used to support the Medicaid expansion in other states.
What I don’t get, however, is why Jindal would want to burden Louisiana employers, especially given our tepid economic conditions.
Instead of accepting the expansion program, Jindal is opting for a program that gives residents between 100 and 138 percent of the poverty line access to healthcare through the state’s new insurance exchanges.
This is where the huge cost from employers comes into play. Individuals would now qualify for premium assistance tax credits.
As a result, employers with more than 50 workers would be assessed fees for each employee in that group who received these credits.
More concretely, that would cost employers approximately $100 a day per individual, according to the study.
So, not only is Jindal putting negative pressure on our economy, he is also transforming our government-run healthcare system into one that is fueled by costly private insurance vouchers.
Sounds like a Republican frontrunner for 2016.
