From the American Academy of Pediatrics:
“Forty percent of Kentucky’s children are enrolled in Medicaid.
It costs Kentucky just $2,370 per year, on average, for each Medicaid-eligible child compared to the average costs per adult Medicaid enrollee of $6,709.
It is estimated that 115,751 Kentucky children – 10.9% – are uninsured.
Seventy-six percent of these uninsured children are eligible, but not enrolled in
Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Kentucky will lose $22.90 in federal matching funds for every $10 in state money it cuts from its Medicaid budget.
Half of all Medicaid enrollees across the country – 26 million – are children.”
From the Herald Leader:
“FRANKFORT, Ky. - Democratic legislators today renewed their criticism of the growing legal bill for the Fletcher administration's response to the personnel investigation of Attorney General Greg Stumbo's office.
The potential cost could rise above $1 million with contracts already in place and a new one revealed to the Government Contract Review Committee today.”
And this:
“Gov. Ernie Fletcher's statewide outreach agency, which he pledged to "disband" three weeks ago because of its role in the hiring scandal, remains active and under the direction a former Kentucky Republican Party chairwoman.
Local Initiatives for a New Kentucky, with a $1.1 million budget, was responsible for politically promoting Fletcher in local communities and finding state jobs for his Republican supporters, according to internal records released in this summer's hiring investigation.”
Let’s do the math:
$1 million for lawyers and $1.1 million for political workers and $4.8 million in lost federal matching funds comes to a total of $6.9 million.
That’s 2,911 uninsured children that won’t get health care coverage.
So the Question is:
Why is the state paying all of these lawyers and political operatives, instead of taking care its’ most defenseless citizens, especially since the Governor is going to pardon every flunky that gets indicted?
Answer:
Doctor Ernie Fletcher is a small time political hack covering his own fanny. The level of partisan political behavior engaged in by this administration, while ignoring problems such as the devastating Medicaid crisis in Kentucky, is obscene.
