Take all the ingredients: term-limited governor, stalwart GOP ideologue in a solidly Democratic state, niche-carving desires for a probable presidential run in ’12, and political insinuator for his party’s trust on all matters of fiscal conservatism. Now, mix in the controversy: his opposition (on solidly party-line GOP principles) to much needed federal funds at the ready, upon his approval, that will act as a stimulus to state and public healthcare delivery — immediately guaranteeing care for everyone from the most indigent Minnesota patients to the dually-eligible elderly recipient of Medicare.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had until close to the end of the month to make a decision on the Medicaid matching funds, holding out until today because he initially characterized the funds as “reckless”, likening the feds to “drug dealers” trying to get Minnesotans “addicted” to public funds for healthcare as part of the jobs bill. Pawlenty’s initial opposition to the healthcare funds was largely seen as a political maneuver designed to buttress his GOP bonafides for a run for president.
Said Pawlenty of his reason for agreeing to the funds, “..Minnesota taxpayers deserve the money because they pay more to the federal government than they get back … the programs are consistent with long-held state principles.”
Those principles apparently came to light when it became politically expedient to acknowledge this increasingly problematic sitatuation for Minnesota’s current chief executive. | LINK
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Originating from Saint Paul, Minnesota, [doctorpundit.com] is a weblog about the policy of healthcare and where it intersects with politics and public opinion; it is edited by Michael Douglas, MD, MBA. Welcome, and please consider my take on what is Healthcare 2.0, complemented by a few of my thoughts on my personal avocations and guilty pleasures: music, prose, and writing. Follow Doctor Pundit via RSS above.
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DOCTOR PUNDIT @ ONE YEAR | An occasional DP series from 2010 highlighting healthcare policy trends over the period from 2009-2010 in a compare/contrast format.
[...] funds for its Medicaid program until its current Republican governor grudgingly accepted them, ending months of speculation over the possibility of an indigent care crisis in [...]
[...] blog has covered the political back-and-forth in the Tim Pawlenty administration which eventually culminated in an agreement by our current [...]
[...] DP Post – 2010) Minnesota’s Governor Finally Accepts Fed Matching Funds for Healthcare Delivery Said Pawlenty of his reason for agreeing to the funds, “..Minnesota taxpayers deserve the money [...]