Jan Brewer is not the only Republican governor stuck in a struggle with state legislators over expansion of Medicaid.

Governors in Florida, Ohio, and Michigan are battling with legislators after they turned the tables on conservatives and decided to accept federal funds for Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

Medicaid is the bane of existence for governors and legislators alike that annually face lean budgets.

Funding for Medicaid can consume as much is 25 to 30 percent of a state’s budget. Th...

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FIXING FEDERAL DEBT IS UP TO THE STATES
Compact for America is exactly what Founders intended to check Washington

Most Americans don’t relish the thought of our children and grandchildren paying down the out-of-control federal debt over the next several decades. But with a national debt level now approaching $17 trillion, Americans must face up to the fact that Washington won’t fix itself: The best hope for fixing the spiraling federal bill is using the constitutional powers of the s...

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BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY WILL CEASE REGULATING SMALL BUSINESSWOMAN

Settlement agreement ends sixteen-month battle fighting government red tape

In what is a major victory for individuals’ right to earn a living, the Arizona Board of Cosmetology has agreed to cease its attempts to needlessly regulate Lauren Boice, a small businesswoman who connects terminally ill patients with beauty service-providers. The Board also has agreed never to regulate businesses like Boice’s in the future.

This commitme...

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By Byron Schlomach

In the debate over Medicaid expansion, the ace up the sleeve of expansion advocates is federal largesse. The federal health care law requires states to eventually cover 10 percent of the cost of expanding Medicaid eligibility; but for the next three years 100 percent of the cost is covered by the federal treasury.

A 2012 Kaiser Family Foundation study estimates that if all states choose to expand their Medicaid programs it would cost them $80 billion over the next ten years, b...

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As Arizona debates the merits of a proposed plan to expand Medicaid, we should consider whether it’s even legal. As currently written, the plan is unconstitutional. That’s because it gives sweeping power to the Director of AHCCCS (Arizona’s Medicaid program) to make law, a job the state’s constitution says must be left to the legislature.

To pay Arizona’s share of the massive Medicaid expansion, the state will charge a “provider tax” to hospitals. But according to the draft languag...

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By Christina Corieri, Heath Care Policy Analyst, Goldwater Institute

1. Expanding Medicaid will cost Arizona hundreds of millions of dollars.

For the first three years, the federal government has promised to cover 100% of the medical costs for the newly eligible Medicaid enrollees, and yet the cost to Arizona’s General Fund for the first year alone would be $154 million. The costs to the state are a result of the fact that the federal reimbursement rate of 100% applies only to the direct medic...

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The Goldwater Institute recently put out a document titled, “10 Reasons to Decline Medicaid Expansion in AZ.”

It’s an excellent and comprehensive read.  The findings and facts are listed below:

1. Expanding Medicaid will cost Arizona hundreds of millions of dollars.

For the first three years, the federal government has promised to cover 100% of the medical costs for the newly eligible Medicaid enrollees, and yet the cost to Arizona’s General Fund for the first year alone wou...

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Claim Retaliation for Support of Tax Hike Prop 204

Never underestimate the wrath of political sore losers. When the people speak and deny them their wishes, they usually have a sharply worded response: “See you in court.”

The familiar drama was on display in the Supreme Court last week by the factions that lost the definition-of-marriage-proposition vote in California. Not to be deterred, they went to the federal courts where they are counting on a select group of men and women in black robe...

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