Just as Kentucky House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover started pushing last week for Gov. Steve Beshear to avoid the massive unfunded Medicaid expansion option under ObamaCare, media reports of a study showing the state stood to benefit more than any other suddenly appeared.
The report, issued by Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, saw immediate statewide distribution primarily through public news sites (here and here) and business publications (here and here) and at least one newspaper (here).
Only one tiny problem with that: the report was dated May 2010. These numbers are ridiculously outdated and and the ranking is meaningless, released now as a clumsy attempt to score political points. The fact Kentucky media outlets seem to have swallowed this whole should be incredibly embarrassing for them.
The truth is the massive Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would very likely result in significant numbers of privately insured low-income people dropping coverage and signing up for Medicaid, according to another old report.
Hope this changes the conversation in Frankfort this week as Beshear weighs whether or not to drive the state to insolvency faster with this easily avoidable government expansion.
