Gene Gessow’s Medicaid Fantasy

It would seem that some Iowa officials no longer remember the idea of personal responsibility. There is an article in today’s Des Moines Register that gave me the urge to vomit. The title of the article is “Let childless get Medicaid, leader exhorts”. I know that some of the liberals in our fair state will paint me as cruel, but I say no. No more handouts for people that do not want to take responsibility for their own actions. No more handouts for people that refuse to take care of themselves.

Gene Gessow, the director of the State of Iowa’s Medicaid program states that there are some low income Iowans that do not have health coverage. I realize that there may actually be some individuals who fall through the cracks; however, I contend that a large majority of uninsured Iowans are uninsured because they do not make insurance a priority. Instead they would rather have those cigarettes, or maybe that alcohol, oh and we cannot forget those drugs. I am not saying that all low income Iowans are that way, but a sizeable percentage is.I have been there in those low income jobs. I know what I am talking about. All too often low income Iowans pursues the creature comforts in life instead of the necessities. It isn’t because they can’t get insurance, it is because they choose not to get it.

Gessow is lobbying Iowa’s delegation to Congress to urge them to change the laws governing Medicaid so that states that choose to cover these people. Once again, I think that this is a bad idea that rewards individuals for making poor decisions. Instead what these people need is assistance to help them make the right decisions. They need help to accept the responsibility that has been bestowed on all of us.

Gessow’s interpretation of low income Iowans is even more ludicrous. Gessow opines that the Federal poverty level is not accurate. He believes that Iowa should cover individuals that make up to $41,600 for individuals and $56,000 for couples. No those numbers are not a typo. This is who he believes should be covered by Medicaid. This kind of reasoning is pure insanity. Let me give you a little idea of why I feel this way. My wife and I have a household income just shy of $40,000 per year. We have our rent payment, we have our car payment, and we have our utility bills. Even with these expenses we still have some of the best insurance in Iowa. This illustrates that Gessow has completely lost his mind. With officials like Gessow running our state, is it any wonder that Iowa’s spending has dramatically increased in the last few years.

Finally near the end of the article it states the annual pricetag of this asinine policy. $858 million in 2009. The State of Iowa is already in a budget crisis because out legislature has spent money like a drunken sailor. This situation bears watching. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail in Washington and this idea will be trashed like it needs to be. But in the last few years I have lost confidence in Congress’ ability to think critically.