Health care is not perfect in the states that have expanded Medicaid, but at least those states are making an effort to see that all their citizens have access to some kind of health insurance coverage. That coverage gives them access to preventive care -- making it possible to catch diseases before they reach the stage where nothing can be done. This saves the lives of many thousands of Americans each year.
Those who make less than 138% of the federal poverty level qualify for Medicaid, and those who make between 138% and 400% of the poverty level get a subsidy to help them buy private insurance (a subsidy that is determined on a sliding scale, with those making the least getting the biggest subsidy). Those making over 400% of the poverty level are required to buy their own insurance (unless covered through an employer). For an individual, 138% of the poverty level is $16,105 -- and for a family of three, it is $27,310.
But things are very different in the Republican-run states that have refused to expand Medicaid (even though it is written into law that the federal government would pay 100% of the cost for 10 years, and 90% after that). But these GOP state leaders aren't really worried about the cost -- they just don't want their base to think they have given in to an African-American president. And because they want to play racial politics, they leave millions of Americans without insurance (and therefore, without access to preventative care). This costs the lives of around 17,000 people unnecessarily each year.
The chart above (made from information in a Kaiser Family Foundation report) shows the insurance gap in those states refusing to expand Medicaid. The percentages shown are those above which parents of a child do not quality for Medicaid. For instance, parents of a child in Texas do not qualify for Medicaid if they make more than 19% of the federal poverty level (about $3,760 for a family of three). That means they don't qualify either for Medicaid or a subsidy to buy insurance if they make between 19% and 138% of the federal poverty level (Between $3,670 and $27,310). That's a large gap, which includes a lot of parents. Every single one of those states has a significant gap which leaves many citizens unable to qualify for any kind of insurance.
And it's even worse for single individuals. In all of those states (except Wisconsin), a single individual making less than 138% of the poverty level ($16,105) cannot qualify for Medicaid -- even if they had no income at all for the year. And Wisconsin leaves a gap for individuals making between 100% and 138% of the poverty level.
The Republicans will tell you that those individuals and parents who don't qualify for Medicaid (or a subsidy) in their state will either buy their own insurance or get healthcare at an emergency room. Those are both ludicrous ideas. If you are trying to survive on $16,105 (or $27,310 for a family of three), then you certainly don't have enough money to buy private insurance.And emergency rooms are for emergency care -- not preventative care, and by the time a poor person is sick enough to go to one, it is too late to treat the illness they have (such as a cancer that has progressed too far to be successfully treated).
The Republicans warned us that if Obamacare was passed there would be Death Panels -- but what they didn't tell us is that they would be the ones on those Death Panels. By playing political games and refusing to expand Medicaid, those Republican officials are condemning at least 17,000 people to death each year. That is not just hard-hearted -- it simply cannot be justified in a moral society.
