Jackson Free Press

[Verbatim from Gov. Haley Barbour] Yesterday an "agreement in principle" on Medicaid issues was announced by Medicaid negotiators, but this so-called "solution" has a huge, fundamental flaw: It would give Medicaid a blank check and expose Mississippi taxpayers to the risk of a severe, illegal budget deficit.

More than 20 years ago the Legislature wisely recognized Medicaid spending could cause a large deficit in the state budget, which would violate both state law and the state constitution. Therefore, the Legislature authorized and later mandated that the governor make such reductions in Medicaid spending as necessary to balance the Medicaid budget. (See Miss. Code Ann. § 43-13-117).

At the demand of the Mississippi Hospital Association, the House of Representatives has insisted on gutting this very important law. The purpose of the law is to protect the taxpayers, but the proposal being offered to the Legislature and me by Medicaid negotiators puts the taxpayer at unconstitutional and unacceptable risk of runaway deficits in Medicaid. I appreciate the senators and Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant who have resisted this proposal and continue to oppose it. I will fight the proposal with all my might.

Obviously, there is no reason to call a Special Session when such enormous Medicaid issues remain unresolved.

Previous Comments

ID

148893

Comment

I don't know where you guys found that photo of Barbour, but it's classic! Looks just like Fred Flintstone. Heck, you could put Fred as a stand-in and probably couldn't tell a difference.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2009-06-22T17:53:51-06:00

ID

148918

Comment

Tell me again...when does his term end??? This is just awful. Nobody ever LOVES a compromise. Senate and House members probably don't love everything they pass, but they have to reach an agreement that everyone can live with. The fact that the Gov won't even allow them to formally vote is just insane. All this talk about Mississippi tax payers... Can someone remind everyone how much of medicaid is funded by Federal Dollars! People from every state in America pay for Mississippi Medicaid.

Author

News Junkie

Date

2009-06-23T08:24:23-06:00

ID

148925

Comment

It is a 4-1 match in most instances.

Author

Ghostbuster

Date

2009-06-23T09:43:38-06:00