The Kentucky Apocalypse

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, best known for its weirdly colored grass, fine bourbon as well as equestrian pageantry, is nearly to hold upwards destroyed yesteryear the Trump administration. Many volition endure as well as mayhap croak because Kentucky obtained a Medicaid waiver to impose additional as well as oft insurmountable hardships on miserable people receiving their costless wellness assist from the State. Since all I demand to know, I learned on Twitter, let me to percentage amongst y'all some illuminating insights from the Twitterati.

The evil Republican Governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin, is salivating at the prospect of changing Medicaid every bit nosotros know it, which apparently agency that miserable people as well as specially people of color volition hold upwards suffering greatly nether this plan. You really don’t demand to know more, since this should hold upwards argue plenty to mobilize the worried wealthy, who are tossing as well as turning inward their featherbeds nighttime afterward night, searching for ways to salve the poor. For those who are neither worried nor wealthy plenty to really care, hither are the ominous provisions of the Kentucky racist, homophobic as well as xenophobic excogitation to alter Medicaid (it is all these things because it was non alone approved, but encouraged yesteryear the Trump administration, as well as nosotros all know what that means).

The most egregious transgression inward the Kentucky HEALTH excogitation is the imposition of piece of work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries. The starting fourth dimension affair that comes to my heed when they state “work requirements” is that sign at the entrance to Auschwitz maxim that piece of work makes y'all free. In Kentucky, the Republicans struggle that piece of work makes y'all healthy. Same thing. So, what are those monstrous piece of work requirements? Medicaid recipients who are non children, who are non below the poverty line, who are non elderly, who are non pregnant, who are non disabled, who are non medically or mentally frail, who are non providing assist to children or other disabled individuals, who are non experiencing hardships such every bit domestic abuse or homelessness or other disruptions inward their lives, must pass about iv hours a solar daytime inward schoolhouse (any school), preparation (any training), apprenticing, acquiring useful skills, volunteering inward the community, searching for a project or really working somewhere.

Wait, wait…. Don’t heighten your eyebrows as well as don’t recall or state anything. If y'all are reading this, y'all are most probable rich, probable white, well-educated as well as mayhap fifty-fifty male. Medicaid beneficiaries are none of these things. We all know that whatsoever of those endeavors could hold upwards genuinely insurmountable hardships for people who are poor, dark or Hispanic, uneducated as well as female. We know that, because nosotros are non racists, misogynists or simply land bigoted SOBs, similar the Republicans running Kentucky as well as that insufferable adult man running the province (or hence he thinks).

Besides, most Medicaid beneficiaries who don’t autumn inward the exempt categories are already working. The ones who don’t work, or study, or do anything beneficial for themselves or others, are experiencing circumstances beyond their control. Helping them gain command over their lives is non Medicaid’s project because wellness as well as wellbeing receive got zip to do amongst socioeconomic circumstances. And fifty-fifty if Kentucky wanted to “nudge” people into, say, getting their GED yesteryear funding a special rewards account, the bureaucracy involved inward tracking all sanctioned activities, all exemptions as well as special circumstances is simply every bit good daunting for “these people” to navigate. Trust me on this one, I read it instantly from the keyboards of Hollywood celebrities as well as several electrical flow as well as quondam large wellness assist executives.

The 2nd affront to humanity inward the Kentucky excogitation is to accuse miserable people premiums for wellness insurance. Not alone that, but those who can’t pay the premiums may hold upwards kicked off Medicaid. Granted, the premiums gain from $1 to $15 (in lieu of regular copays), as well as all the exemptions for sick health, frailty as well as poverty do apply hither every bit well, but that withal leaves a sizeable release of miserable people who could hold upwards denied medical assist simply because they forgot to pay the monthly dollar twice inward a row, or couldn’t afford the higher premium. These highly discriminatory practices targeting the miserable are unheard of inward other industries or fifty-fifty inward the commercial segment of wellness assist itself, where insurance premiums are largely voluntary.

To hold upwards fair to Kentucky, at that spot is a machinery yesteryear which people who did non pay their premiums on fourth dimension tin find their Medicaid coverage, which brings us to provisions reminiscent of the Jim Crow days inward the South. The Kentucky plan, y'all see, has a literacy provision for regaining access to care. This is apparently targeted at people of color as well as immigrants from what the GOP Leader calls “shithole” countries, which every bit every wealthy someone inward Bel Air knows, cannot read or write, every bit evidenced yesteryear the thumbprint (or large X, depending on the State) appearing on most Medicaid applications. I receive got null incertitude that the Attorney General of the State of California volition hold upwards taking the depraved Governor of Kentucky, as well as the Trump direction that enabled him, to court, as well as I receive got no incertitude that the ninth Circuit Court of Appeals volition discovery inward favor of judge as well as equality, every bit it e'er does.

Until then, it seems that some Medicaid beneficiaries inward Kentucky may receive got to sit down through torturous wellness literacy or fiscal literacy classes, where they learn piece of cake materials nearly how to bargain amongst debt, how wellness insurance industrial plant as well as how 1 tin navigate these treacherous waters. There is no squall of a examination or anything at the end, but this withal seems similar an unwarranted as well as blatantly racist imposition on “these people”.  Even to a greater extent than outrageous though is that Kentucky is providing incentives, which tin hold upwards used to buy gym memberships, for Medicaid beneficiaries to receive got other classes, such every bit chronic assist direction or nutrition or drug addiction coping skills.  What do illiterate people, drug addicts as well as all “these people” demand gym memberships for? It’s similar telling them to “eat cake” ….

And on as well as on goes the Kentucky HEALTH plan, listing 1 offensive department afterward another. The employment amongst this plan, which volition alive inward infamy until the Lord's Day goes supernova, is the cold, heartless as well as blatantly racist supposition that people who demand Medicaid are every bit capable of surgery inward modern club every bit anybody else. It ignores decades of teachings. It ignores hundreds of years of slavery as well as Anglo Saxon colonialist supremacy. And it ignores basic Christian values, because Jesus didn’t simply sit down at that spot giving classes on how to fish. He gave people fish, as well as it worked nifty for Him as well as for His followers, eventually. If y'all run into yourself every bit the Lord as well as Savior of huddled masses, y'all volition desire to do what Jesus did. If y'all experience equal to people who demand Medicaid, but mayhap a fleck luckier at this moment, y'all volition dismiss everything I wrote hither every bit full bullshit.