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Medicaid/CHCHC in crosshairs of Sept. 18 vote
Published 11:00pm Thursday, September 6, 2012Ben Busbee, executive director of the Charles Henderson Child Health Center in Troy, has been involved in the health care field in some way for 30 years.
Over those years, the cost of health care in the United States has continued to rise. Now, in an effort to balance the state’s budget for the next fiscal year, cuts must be made and Medicaid is in the crosshairs.
Busbee was the speaker at this week’s Brundidge Rotary Club meeting and told the Rotarians that the CHCHC will be negatively impacted if the September 18th Amendment fails.
“The Charles Henderson Child Health Center will take a big hit,” Busbee said. “We stand to lose about $100,000 a year and that is major,” Busbee said. “The Constitutional amendment to be put to vote on Sept. 18 would allow monies from the state’s savings account to be moved to the state’s checking account. The move would benefit Medicaid. That would involve about one-sixth of the state’s savings account.”
Busbee said that Medicaid plays a role in the health care of a large number of area children.
“In Pike and the contiguous counties, there are about 24,000 Medicaid eligible children,” Busbee said. “At CHCHC, we have four pediatricians and CHCHC also provides the only Medicaid dental services for children in this area. So, if this amendment doesn’t pass, it will have a major impact on the services that we can continue to provide for Medicaid eligible children in our area.”
Busbee said it’s not just Medicaid that will be affected if the September 18th Amendment fails.
“It will affect the health care industry overall,” he said. “Health care is the largest industry in the country. If Medicaid collapses, it will affect the second tier suppliers as well and we’ll also lose the millions of federal dollars that come to Alabama to help fund that Medicaid program.”
Busbee said that public vote is the only way that the state can dip into its savings account.
Voting “yes” on September 18 could save 10,000 jobs in Alabama, stop the release of 9,500 prison inmates, keep hospitals, nursing homes and doctor’s offices from closing and keep Children’s Hospital and pediatricians across the state from losing the resources needed to provide care for the state’s children, according to Busbee.
Busbee said that it’s up to the voters to decide but he recommends voting “yes” for the good of Alabama.
What happens when the Trust Fund is gone? $600,000,000(?) has already been taken from the Trust Fund and not paid back. Forever Wild for 20 years has been taking money out of the Trust Fund and Alabama land off the tax rolls and private ownership (forever}. Forever Wild will be voted on again in November. Has any one heard of anyone being being arrested for Medicaid fraud in Alabama? This is another hidden tax, not directly on the people of Alabama but on the resources that belong to the of people of Alabama and the future of Alabama.
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{Voting “yes” on September 18 could save 10,000 jobs in Alabama} Economy is the pits, fixing to head further downhill, etc, etc-Jobs are going away anyway with/without taking the money that WILL NEVER GET PAID BACK! No, I’m not voting for it-and my wife (who is also voting NO) is a State employee in the health dept.
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They had skipping Trust fund,there is no use by vote….
Regards
Bizworldusa
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If the politicians are so concerned about a lack of funding in Alabama, loss of jobs, loss of Medicaid benefits, why did they vote themselves a 60% pay raise a couple of years ago. I don’t know what the answer is, but giving crooked, greedy “public servants” aka politicians an answer to their spend-thrift ways doesn’t seem to be the solution, in my opinion. Sorry, can’t do it.
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Do not forget that in November you will get the chance to rollback the pay raise of the legislature and tie pay to the income of the income of the average Alabaman, I wish every public employe was paid this way. Remember the most important part of this is that is that it will take away the power of the legislature to give themselves pay raises.
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The Charles Henderson estate in 20-years (from 1957-77) virtually re-built the public schools in Pike County with the result that at one point virtually every school in the county was a Charles Henderson school. Since 1977 the Henderson estate has been devoted to children’s health through the child health center. Regardless of what happens to the amendment the Charles Henderson money will still be going to children’s health.
Henderson’s will was written long before the advent of health insurance and federal largess extending to health care. It appears CHCHC’s expense needs will grow to match any available resource and should be capable of contracting to match any cut-backs.
If the failure of the raid on the trust fund means the death of medicaid, so be it. If we keep that monstrosity alive it is only a matter of time before we will have to decide whether all other functions of government will have to be sacrificed to keep that welfare program going.
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Only an idiot or fool would vote for this amendment as it is written. There’s no method of repayment mentioned because they have no intentions of repaying it. They have already borrowed half a billion from this fund.The Alabama constitution demands a balanced budget. Borrowing money to fund the budget is unconstitutional. The state should practice austerity measures to balance the budget.Funding entitlements has been one of the major causes of this countries 16 trillion dollar debt. We cant allow Alabama to do the same identical thing.These entitlements must stop and people must live up to their responsibilities as citizens and not expect handouts from others.
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I tend to be a liberal–these days–so I’m voting YES. When the pot of money is completely empty folks will have to rely more on home remedies. My mother swears that a laxative is the solution to every ailment. I don’t know much about Medicare or Medicaid, but it seems that there is always a need for more money and a lot of controversy pertinent to both. Millionaires have fallen into poverty so I tend to be humble. It’s Social Darwinism or the Elizabethan Poor Laws.
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Blood i’ve found it common to have liberal views when one is on the receiving end.
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O.k., you are assuming, but I will not entertain you further.
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You talk about the kids in Pike County that need medicaid, I understand that but I was at the drug store this morning and a young woman throws her card up there and ask how much I gots to pay it was like .50 cent a rx. My mother (who worked from the time she was 13 until she was no longer able to work) was fighting cancer and couldn’t afford her alot of her meds and would have to ask for cheaper close to the same meds. She still has to do that and also does without some of the more expensive ones and does the best she can. No I WILL NOT vote yes, You can’t manage money at all.
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i sure will vote NO for it and so will my hubbie vote NO!!!!
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Blood, you are the only voice of reason. I cannot believe that the people of Alabama desire the loss of 10,000 jobs, nursing home closures, prison inmates being released, and yes, Medicaid cuts. So, Alabamians do not have the right to health care? I understand that there are those who abuse the system, however, there are many who rely on Medicaid legitimately. No, I am not one of them. I am simply one human being who cares about others. I am voting yes. This is a rainy day fund & there’s a storm brewing…
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“So, Alabamians do not have the right to health care?”–Treehugger
People have the right to purchase products and services based upon the fruit of their labors.
Whether a meal out as a treat is fast food or a porterhouse steak is dependent upon what “value” in the form of money you have earned. The same applies to the house you live in and health care as well.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”–Margaret Thatcher
“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions, rather than their results. We all know a famous road that is paved with good intentions. The people who go around talking about their ‘soft heart,’–I admire them for the softness of their heart, but very often it extends to their head as well.”
– Milton Friedman
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Alabamians have a right to all the the health care and as high quality health care they can afford. You cannot afford health care for your children, don’t have them. It is one thing for a responsible parent to have an accident or illness which prevents him from working (charity would be appropriate for those cases) but quite another for an idler to impregnate or become pregnant and expect society to bear the burden of the progeny. We don’t want to punish children by denying them anything because their parents are dirt sorry. Perhaps if we made it a capital offense to sire or bear a child one cannot support we could deter the creation of further burdens.
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Well said Omelas ! “gives based on ability—receives based on needs” only goes so far before the givers become the receivers !
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Of course we realize that Troy is filled with welfare queens and many that cant read but this story is for the citizens that have a triple digit IQ to read and hopefully decide to vote “NO” the 18th. http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2012/09/12/legislators-failed-vote-no-sept-18/
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Prophet, your error is in restricting the article by I.Q.. Most of those with average or above I.Q. here still aren’t well educated enough to see past what they can get, right now.
In a town where the average high school senior’s ACT score is a over a point lower than the state average, which is a point lower than the national average,fiscal wisdom is like pearls cast before swine.
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”–Winston Churchill
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