It's not, "We're reducing the spending." But instead, "If we do this, spending will, consequently, be reduced."

The "this" is repeating the health-care mandate. Fewer people would seek insurance, the logic goes; therefore the Medicaid expansion would cost less. This is a predicted reduction consequent upon the actions of the bill, a predicted effect. In fact, a number of costs to the government would decrease (those "costs" have as their flip side "free" or "subsidized" health care).

This is a reasonable parallel: the stimulus package of 2009 was predicted to create jobs, but at no point did the President say, "Let there be this many new jobs."

The CBO's track record on predictions is spotty. In other words, the "cuts" may or may not occur, even if Congress does what the CBO assumes it will. The creation, like the cuts, are resultant, not dictated.

It was a reduction in FUTURE funding. It wasn't that that would be the effect of the law. It was really a reduction in spending, and was budgeted accordingly.

Medicaid was a key factor in the state budgets for MH service. esp. for Crisis services. Ala. actually had a pretty good Mental Health system for a decade or so.

When the ER has suicidal patients, abused patients, "is he crazy or is he on a drug?" patients, you called the Crisis Counselor who was paid by Medicaid funded Mental Health services. The counselor evaluated the patient and if needed, patient could be
transfered to a 72 hour hold facility, then was seen by a therapist, at the MH clinic, within 2 days.

Half the people I saw had a drug/alcohol problem. We had treatment for that, too.

That service is no longer funded. The 72 hour mandatory hold law is still on the books, there just is no facility funded now.

A republican doctor who knows me via the past Crisis contacts, who ranted and raved against "ObamaCare, Socialism"
( her exact phrase) now complains she has no help when people in crisis clog the ER.

I simply told her "that's what happens when Congress and the states refuse to fund the programs"

Such a damn shame innocent people have to suffer because of this and supposedly educated doctors have no clue how their hospital is funded.

Most of their revenue source is Medicare and Medicaid.

Medical care going down hill. Majority of Medicaid recipients cannot afford the high cost of coverage. People will die, and there is absolutely no reason why American people should suffer. Greed, one the deadly sins.

Keep alive the worker bees.
Slave/Master plantation economy paradigm.

It's a pay to play government with politicians getting sweet little deals when they leave office.

feared, "socialism". However, they don't even so much as bat an eyelash at shifting money from the middle class and poor to the already wealthy. For that, they just call it "tax cuts".

for a soul to think that is alright. It will definitely change my life and thousands of other lives. Oh so sad for man and woman kind. Feeling very down lately.

that and outright theft from the US Treasury.

They just haven't thought through the consequences. Most people in nursing homes are covered by Medicaid. When the idiots who elected tRump and the other pukes have to start paying to keep their 85-year-old mother* in the nursing home, the harsh reality of their ignorance will strike home. Five to seven thousand dollars a month will do that for you, rather quickly. And I have no - zero - sympathy for those who voted for pukes.

(*85-year-old mother is only an example. LOTS of people in nursing homes who are covered by Medicaid are not 85-year-old mothers.)

There were middle age people living there.

The youngest was 22.

My older sister had a massive stroke at a young age and hd to go into a nursing home (there were no other facilities that could take her). She relied on Medicaid and Medicare. She was middle aged. There were young people there, as well....disabilities, even mental issues.

Shot himself in the head.

Brain dead.

Young people have accidents.

I thought brain dead meant...dead? No?

Really sad.

He might be gone by now.

Half his skull was missing.

He was not there anymore.

He was a 6 ft baby.

Could do nothing for himself.

Just lay in a johnnie chair.

That is brain dead to me.

And I felt sorry for my sister after her stroke, but it was nothing like this.

But that is where I really saw how important Medicaid is. And she wasn't getting top level care. It's minimal care, given on a shoestring budget. But if it hadn't been there, I don't know what we would've done. Her care could not have been done by laypersons.

I found a really good home.

She had many health problems.

A lot of people will die.

Did not have to be.

we need to all get out there and VOTE. This is sickening they are stealing from us and being very proud of themselves. The Middle Class is being shafted. Why do the Rich hate the Middle Class or why do the rich feel so threatened by us/Middle Class.

I hope they (that 1%) choke on it.

All revolutions have sprung from the middle class trying to keep or regain what had been taken from them by the 1%.
It takes a certain amount of free time to be able to organize, and a certain amount of outrage to act.
The poor and the unemployable are usually too busy trying to survive to be able to either organize or act.

The short-sighted plan is to neuter the middle class enough that the "moneyed elite" as the 1% like to think of themselves still have a somewhat educated workforce that can be harvested for revenue and ideas, but workforce will be too strained or busy to have enough energy to be more than drone in the system.

Of course, the 1% is more clever than wise when it comes to smarts - they never really think beyond more than gaining the political and economic power and assuming that once they gain that power, nothing else can happen.
Except, of course, for those who want to bring about the "Second coming of Jesus" to avoid having to take responsibility for their selfish excess, perversions, and greed.
If you can be sure the World ends when you do, why should you take the time to consider what the repercussions of your actions are on the future? Just go on emotion and indulge yourself.
Your grandchildren are not going to have to live through whatever hellscape you've wrought, after all...

Haele

They also have this magical thinking going on where communicable diseases do not touch wealthy Republicans.