DarthDoyle: Screw the Hospitals and Docs (and Granny, Too!)

DarthDoyle knows exactly how much Medicaid money is available to spend. He should--it's the same amount as he spent last year.

But he'd rather throw the 'high hard one' directly at medical providers' heads. Makes a better political show, you know.

A top official in Gov. Jim Doyle's administration Wednesday ordered state health officials to develop a strategy for reducing Medicaid spending until lawmakers end a budget stalemate and adopt a two-year spending package.

Michael Morgan said he instructed the Department of Health and Family Services to develop a plan for cutting spending in Medicaid by 20%. The state-federal health care program covers the poor, elderly and disabled

The Medicaid plan would likely mean lower reimbursements for health care providers.

Doctors, hospitals, nursing homes--all are now political footballs. Let's kick them around for the crowd in the grandstand.

What a bright idea, Darth!

Morgan suggested he could soon have to ask for similar contingency plans for other state agencies because of the lack of a state budget, but declined to provide specifics.

Won't be the Department of Revenue, nor DarthDoyle's personal cop-shop, the Capitol Police, though.

After the JS went through the PropagandaPoint presentation about the EEEEEEEEvil Republican Assembly, the article gets around to this:

If Medicaid funding is left at current levels, the state would not collect $363 million from the cigarette tax increase and the assessment on hospitals this fiscal year.

Which, of course, is the reality. It's not a question of running short of funds. It's a question of not getting his way.

So he stamps his foot and pouts.

That's a helluva way to govern, Darth.