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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.
Scott Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He writes about education, city and suburban issues, politics, business, workforce and consumer issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > July > 23 > Entry
Editorial: Medicaid just one place Ohio will cut
So you might have heard that the health care problem got fixed with the passage of President Barack Obama’s health care plan.
Not so much for states.
At this week’s hearing on how Ohio is going to navigate a budget deficit that could hit $8 billion (representing 15 percent of current state spending), Medicaid was the focus.
The numbers are breathtaking:
— Medicaid costs are approaching 60 percent of the state’s budget.
— Medicaid spending has increased 30 percent in just the last three years. (It was more than a decade ago that former Gov. George Voinovich called it the Pac-Man of the budget. Not much has changed.)
— One in seven Ohioans, and one in three Ohio children, are covered by Medicaid. That number will go up as income eligibility rules are loosened under the Obama plan.
— A $3 cut in Medicaid spending only saves $1 because of the way the state gets reimbursed by the feds.
There are lots of misconceptions about Medicaid. For starters, it’s not a Cadillac plan in every sense of the word. As grateful as many people are to have the coverage, it has drawbacks. Many doctors, for instance, limit how many Medicaid patients they’ll accept, so it’s not always easy to get the care you need.
Though you might think it’s poor families who are running up the bills, one of the biggest drivers is nursing home costs. Many elderly Medicaid patients were not poor until they blew threw their savings paying for their or their spouses’ nursing home bills.
One particularly difficult challenge is that 5 percent of Medicaid cases account for 50 percent of the spending. Cutting costs for incredibly sick, dying or disabled people will never be easy. That limits where the state can go in the program to save money.
All of these issues and more came up at the Budget Planning & Management Commission meeting this week.
So far, the only helpful thing that’s come out of that effort is the media coverage that has exposed how unwilling both Republicans and Democrats are to concede and deal with the depth of the financial crisis. Both sides are more engaged in making the other look bad as the election approaches than with getting down to the nitty-gritty.
Nonetheless, the group is going to keep meeting, even as there’s not much hope that the level of discussion will pick up.
Some groups — the state’s certified public accountants, for instance, and the Center for Community Solutions out of Cleveland — are taking the opportunity to be heard about how they see the financial challenges and choices. Other informed groups should invite themselves to the table; if nothing else, they can help fuel a public education campaign about what’s ahead.
Ohio’s budget problems are not as dire as some other states, but they are monumental. Schools, local governments and all the places — from libraries to hospitals — that depend on state funding have a stake in how the budget gets balanced.
When you’re listening to the candidates for governor and the legislature this fall, don’t settle for platitudes. The people you pick will be making big decisions that affect your wallet, family and the place you live.
This is no ordinary time, no ordinary election.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Ellen Belcher, Health Care, Ohio government, Ohio politics, Social Services
Comments
By Been There
July 23, 2010 2:16 PM | Link to this
Medicaid isn’t a bad program,just needs people who understand what is iand isn’t medically necessary.A prostectic for a 21 yr old so he can walk and get back to work should be something they would want,not deem it a luxuary item.
By Mike R
July 23, 2010 3:35 PM | Link to this
First of all, Obama’s Health Care plan didn’t “fix” the system. If you believe that and continue to want to hear and believe that you are either foolish or misinformed. Perhaps both. If anything this 2,000+ page health care bill will exacerbate the problems within the system. Many areas of Obama’s Health Care plan were “fill-in-the-blank.” In fact, the Gov’t has setup a special web link to inform all concerned parties of the new laws as requirements of those blanks are filled in. On almost a daily basis either the IRS or HHS are adding links to direct people to the newly published laws. Secondly, I’m not aware of anyone who believes that Medicare, or Medicaid, is a Cadillac plan. Maybe Ellen does now that it appears abortion (or in her view—birth control) is federally funded. Just like Social Security, Medicare will have to become a means-tested gov’t program. For those that were successful in life and planned accordingly for their golden years they will see higer deductables and higher co-pays. Everbody will have shorter stays in the hospital and questions surrounding hospitals pushing the elderly and weak out the back door will surface, but hospitals are a business and they’ll do what they have to do to survive. The cost of Nursing homes is bankrupting families now and coupled with Strickland’s higer Bed Tax implemented last year those costs to famlies will only sky-rocket more. That leaves a limited option what to do. Look in the coming years for Ellen, Marty and their “compassionate” ilk to suggest their humane way to solve the problem—put a pillow over grandma’s head while she’s napping.
By davidss2
July 23, 2010 10:56 PM | Link to this
You gotta love the hypocrisy of the DDN editors compared to their gushing over Obama for a year to get him elected and avoid exposing his true being. NOW Ellen wants us to be critical of those NEW governor candidates: “When you’re listening to the candidates for governor and the legislature this fall, don’t settle for platitudes. The people you pick will be making big decisions that affect your wallet, family and the place you live.” Of course STrickland has done nothing but lose jobs and smile and remind us he’s a psychologist and a pastor. Whoopee. Who wants 4 more years of him?
By Criss f**king Cringle
July 24, 2010 9:36 AM | Link to this
1 in 3 children are on Medicaid. It’s not their fault and they need this coverage but their whore mothers need spade. I’m sick to death for paying for irresponsible people, their disgusting lifestyles, and their choices. Why isn’t Obama using the “bully pulpit” to preach to these dregs of society? Because he wants a dependent society!
By Max
July 24, 2010 1:47 PM | Link to this
Again, as both parties behave as children and ignore the whole problem - just not the voter friendly, populist views - taking out the ‘public option’ in the national healthcare plan thus placing the same and growing burden on state funded medicaid, well…..again, we are getting exactly what we deserve from both parties. If all else fails, including any resemblence of reason, by all means blame the sick and dying people. They probably won’t vote or voice their situation on messageboards anyway. And, since Kevorkian solutions are illegal what’s left for these worthless politicians? A Soylent Green solution? Nah….let’s just talk it to death like everything else. There’s no urgency or compelling motivator for state or national leadership to do anything. Like I said, we are getting exactly what we deserve from our elected officials; it’s hard to blame them any more when we keep sending them back expecting different results. But, let’s talk about what’s really important; Mel Gibson….at least there’s some unfiltered, demonstrative anger coming from at least one person in the US…..and HE has problems?…LOL
By tomket
July 24, 2010 5:22 PM | Link to this
The first sentence of this article is so poorly written it is a crime. The DDN editorial staff does not appear to care about any proper sentence structure. “So you might have heard that the health care problem got fixed with the passage of President Barack Obama’s health care plan.” Has been fixed would be a lot better than “got fixed”. Shame on you DDN!
By C.C
July 25, 2010 3:19 PM | Link to this
I work in a hospital here in Dayton. The Obama healthcare reform is destructive and costly to the American people. So Ellen, Obama has not fixed the problem and what planet are you really living on?
By Sella
July 26, 2010 2:47 PM | Link to this
The whore mothers. The Republicans want to do away with Roe-Wade and force more women to be dependent on men or a handout. the woman would not be a whore if the lazy dead beat man who likes a quick one would be responsible and support their children
By Sella
July 26, 2010 2:57 PM | Link to this
The whore mothers. The Republicans want to do away with Roe-Wade and force more women to be dependent on men or a handout. the woman would not be a whore if the lazy dead beat man who likes a quick one would be responsible and support their children
By Sella
July 26, 2010 2:57 PM | Link to this
The whore mothers. The Republicans want to do away with Roe-Wade and force more women to be dependent on men or a handout. the woman would not be a whore if the lazy dead beat man who likes a quick one would be responsible and support their children
By Sella
July 26, 2010 2:57 PM | Link to this
The whore mothers. The Republicans want to do away with Roe-Wade and force more women to be dependent on men or a handout. the woman would not be a whore if the lazy dead beat man who likes a quick one would be responsible and support their children
By Tara
July 26, 2010 3:07 PM | Link to this
The Obama healthcare reform is destructive and costly to who? So sending the underinsured and no insured to the emergency room for expensive care is good? You must be a brainwashed Republican. What is the solution to the problem? Maybe like Hitler, line these people up and put a you know what in their head. that could get rid of the lower class of people that can’t pay 5 thousand for an MRI. Maybe we can weed out all the jobs at Wright Patterson. Those low life government workers who happen to work for the largest employer in the Miami Valley. Yuck, the bad federal government…
By Tara
July 26, 2010 3:07 PM | Link to this
The Obama healthcare reform is destructive and costly to who? So sending the underinsured and no insured to the emergency room for expensive care is good? You must be a brainwashed Republican. What is the solution to the problem? Maybe like Hitler, line these people up and put a you know what in their head. that could get rid of the lower class of people that can’t pay 5 thousand for an MRI. Maybe we can weed out all the jobs at Wright Patterson. Those low life government workers who happen to work for the largest employer in the Miami Valley. Yuck, the bad federal government…
By Tara
July 26, 2010 3:09 PM | Link to this
The Obama healthcare reform is destructive and costly to who? So sending the underinsured and no insured to the emergency room for expensive care is good? You must be a brainwashed Republican. What is the solution to the problem? Maybe like Hitler, line these people up and put a you know what in their head. that could get rid of the lower class of people that can’t pay 5 thousand for an MRI. Maybe we can weed out all the jobs at Wright Patterson. Those low life government workers who happen to work for the largest employer in the Miami Valley. Yuck, the bad federal government…
By Mike R
July 26, 2010 11:59 PM | Link to this
Tara, how does calling the person who wrote that comment names; comparisons to Hitler, and belittling the hard working people at Wright-Pat have anything to do with strengthening your arguement that Obama’s Health Care plan is good?? It doesn’t. Put the flame-thrower down and come back with some valid reasons why the recently passed health-care plan won’t add burdens to Ohio’s budget (that’s what this editorial is about) and quality and availablity won’t be deminished—If you can.
By Tara
July 27, 2010 12:40 AM | Link to this
How is that government run healthcare? My dad is 86, retired from the base. great pension and healthcare. What does it matter if you are hard working at the base? Do you read what the tea party stands for? LESS GOVERNMENT!!!!VOTE YOUR REPUBLICAN TEA PARTIERS IN AND KISS YOUR CUSHY JOB GOOD-BY. THEY WANT TO DISMANTLE THE WHOLE STRUCTURE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SO IF YOU ENJOY YOUR JOB, VOTE TEA PARTY REPUBLICANS. JOIN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE. MAYBE YOU CAN GET A JOB AT MCDONALDS. YOU KNOW, REPUBLICANS SAY THERE ARE PLENTY OF JOBS, SO IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A SAFE JOB AT THE BASE. LOL LOL LOL.
By Mike R
July 27, 2010 9:13 AM | Link to this
Tara, you are terribly confused. You are posting on the wrong article—nobody here has made any comments about Gov’t run health-care, nor have they opined favorably towards the Tea-Party movement. This is an article about Ohio’s budget and the effects Medicare and the newly passed health care laws will have upon it. Your bitterness and hatred towards a group of people is showing.