Minorities and Illegals Hogging up Obamacare?

The 2016 election brought out so much ugliness that it's sometimes overwhelming to think about much less digest. There's been analysis, finger-pointing and name-calling, but none of it changes the past. It's important to look to the future which, I admit, is hard to do given the direction that the federal government wants to take us.

One of the issues the 2016 election brought to the surface is the rampant racism, hatred, and misogyny that pulses through America's veins. Sometimes these pulses are larger and stronger than other times, but they have never ceased; they are always there.

Republicans like to put topics like welfare and healthcare into clean little boxes with such labels like "privilege". I remember under Bush, Jr., Republicans began to use the word "privilege" when talking about welfare and how it should be reformed. To some degree, I actually agree with them on this topic, but it certainly is NOT, nor has it EVER been a "privilege." We all pay into the till that is welfare and, should we ever need to use it, it is our right to have that money, not a privilege to. People forget this. But, Republicans count on that. They are master manipulators and master marketers. The Democrats could learn a lesson or two from them when it comes to mass marketing an idea and selling it.

As a result of this ability to master manipulate, Republicans have expertly convinced white people that minorities and (illegal) immigrants have stolen rights from Americans. What they really mean is that minorities and immigrants have stolen rights from white Americans. On this note, enter Trump. He rode this wave all the way to the White House. Taking this fear of "the other," he and Republicans campaigned for Obamacare repeal arguing that not only is it too costly, but that it is "giving away" healthcare to all those who didn't deserve it. In other words, the federal government is giving away healthcare to minorities and immigrants, mainly the illegal ones, and that this should be stopped.

But....really? Is this true? Are the minorities and illegals hogging up Obamacare?

Los Angeles Times published this article about children and healthcare. Taking a map of rural US counties, they were broken down by which counties voted for Hillary and which ones voted for Trump, and how much of those counties' constituents depended on government-issued healthcare.

For example, Fayette County in West Virginia overwhelmingly voted for Trump, yet 53% of its children rely on Medicaid and CHIP (Children Health Insurance Program).

564,000 people in West Virginia are covered by Medicaid.

47% of West Virginia children with special healthcare needs are covered by Medicare.

Fayette County in West Virginia is also mainly white. [1]

Do you think the parents of Fayette County are somewhat concerned as congressional Republicans move to cut hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade from Medicaid? These parents voted for someone who degrades women, stole from other businesses (by not paying them for services), filed for bankruptcy multiple times, doesn't understand policy or how to govern, yet rode to the White House on a mountain of racist and hatred-filled sentiments. He has even surrounded himself with people whose agenda is to bring back a white America (whatever that means). The hatred and fear of "the other" is so deep among white people that they willingly gambled on their children's health. Please read that sentence again.

Here's what kids lose without coverage:

- fewer to no check-ups

- fewer to no immunizations

- more lost days of school

- more trips to the emergency room

- families must choose: food or healthcare

I'm no economist, but the above short-list of what children lose without insurance doesn't seem to invest in a child's future which then, looking long-term, doesn't invest in the future of America. A sick child doesn't go to school who then falls behind who then drop-outs who then becomes a burden on society because s/he has no developed skills. How is this a cycle people want?

Here's what a kid gains when insured:

- better health

- improved reading and test scores

- lowers risk of being a high school drop out

- increases future earnings

20 years ago, about 14% of children nation-wide lacked healthcare coverage. Today, that number is at 5%. How is this a bad thing? Yet, "Senate GOP legislation would slash more than a third of federal Medicaid funds over the next 20 years and nearly double the ranks of the uninsured by 2026." [2] I always thought the idea for a country was to move forward, not backward.

Going back to the map of the rural US counties for a sec. Out of 780 counties looked at nationwide, 622 had a majority of children on Medicaid.  Most of these children are white (whose parents voted for Trump, let's not forget), and these children, the future of America, are at risk of losing healthcare if Trump and Republicans get their way. Please read that sentence again.

Aren't Republicans the party of "family values?" Are children no longer a part of that equation?

"The funding cap in the Senate bill would increase only at the rate of inflation, leaving states with an increasingly larger share of the medical costs, which have typically increased faster than inflation. And because the same flow of federal Medicaid money covers care for children as well as for poor seniors and the disabled, deep cuts would probably force states to decide who is more deserving of medical care." [3]

States will have to decide whether children deserve medical care or whether poor seniors and the disabled deserve medical care. Please. Read that sentence again. Then let me know who of you is itching to run for State Assembly, State Senate, or Governor with that possibly on the horizon.

A country is only as good as its constituents. If the constituents won't have a heart for everyone, including those who look different from them, there is no healthcare out there that can save that heart.

Map of the counties. [4] More detail found in article cited above, but for additional information, including seeing the above map, please visit here. 

For more information on the subject please read The Atlantic's "How Kids Would Fare Under the American Health Care Act."

[1] Levey, Noam N. "Children's health at risk in Trump country." Los Angeles Times, 06 July 2017: A1. Print.

[2] Levey, Noam N. "Children's health at risk in Trump country." Los Angeles Times, 06 July 2017: A9. Print.

[3] Levey, Noam N. "Children's health at risk in Trump country." Los Angeles Times, 06 July 2017: A9. Print.
[4] Krishnakumar, Priya and Levey Noam. 2017 July 6. "Medicaid's vital role for children in Trump Country." www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-pol-medicaid-children/ 

it’s not anti-republican, it’s anti-trump

the only other person who could’ve probably incited so much protesting against the election was ted cruz. had john kasich, jeb bush, or marc rubio won, we wouldn’t be where we are now. i’m tired of seeing “get over it” and “chill out” and “stop your whining” from all the trump supporters. a vote for trump was a vote of ignorance for what was at stake.

i am tolerant of intellectual republicans. i was once a republican myself and know that there can be mutual respect and that there can be a productive exchange of ideas. i despised bush, jr for many reasons, but i never felt like i lost my country - even with the illegal war he started. to trump supporters, this was a pissing match. to me, and most others, this was about respect for life (and the environment), our freedom to be who we are, to love whom we want, to accept our differences regardless of religious beliefs, and a chance for us to win fights against hatred, women’s rights and minority rights. this wasn’t a republican vs democrat election. that would’ve been kasich/bush/rubio vs clinton/sanders.

kasich, rubio, and bush would’ve never said, “i could shoot someone and get away with it” and ignite crowds with excitement.

kasich, rubio, and bush would’ve never said, “i can grab any pussy and get away with it” and ignite crowds with excitement.

kasich, rubio, and bush would’ve never said, “‘knock out (anyone who protests us)’” and ignite crowds with excitement.

a republican is not someone who values violence towards others or values racism, but someone who does value violence towards others or who is racist is most likely a republican. 

a republican is not someone who is uneducated but someone who is uneducated is most likely a republican. 

a republican is not someone who is without an understanding of the world at large and our relationship to it, but someone who doesn’t understand the world at large and our relationship to it is most likely a republican.

republican politicians, while i may not agree with most of them, have education and experience to back up their views. they know the chess game. trump had no experience in the political arena, boasted about not knowing how government or foreign policy worked, but still made him captain of a ship he never once even sailed on. i wonder, would trump supporters go to a mechanic for a root canal?

we will be getting a team who will be guided by white, heterosexual, evangelical views. 

this is happening in a land founded by illegal immigrants who were intellectuals with views that government stay out of people’s business and who prided themselves on the notion of separation of church and state.

digest that irony.

so much hate, so much darkness, so much spite; my heart hurts

in regards to last night's presidential election, i'm scared for my rights as a woman and the future for my children, i'm scared for all my minority friends and their families, i'm scared for all muslims, i'm scared for our environment and Mother Earth, i'm heartbroken that someone who mistreats everyone he comes across, someone who doesn't respect his workers and doesn't pay his workers, someone who believes women are objects to be grabbed and jerked around, someone who doesn't understand how government works and whose followers believe he's going to just "fire" congress, someone who will represent me but spews so much hatred and violence - values i don't have and values i don't teach my children, someone who will flies off the handle on whim, someone with no respect for our country and all the gains, someone who doesn't *care* to understand the ins and outs of our government, or OUR WORLD, or our economy and its tangled web, someone who not once ever cared about anyone else other than himself so as to stroke his bankrupt-ass ego, i'm heartbroken that someone like that will get to call himself President.

this is just the beginning...

From Feminists United on Facebook:

and this from a woman named Ingrid Jackson on Facebook:

i don't want hate and darkness to win. i can't believe it has with lasting consequences for my and my friends' children.

and speaking of children, if you have them, this is an excellent article to read what to tell them about the results of last night's election.

and i leave you with the incredibly insightful blog post from John Pavlovitz about why those of us who wanted Hillary Clinton to win. among other things, it was a race "about our views of people's worth." please read it.

Dear Donald Trump,

“Make America Great Again.” Please explain your meaning of “again.” I, specifically, would like to know if there’s a time period that you have in mind.

Is it when wealthy, white, European immigrants came and raped Native Americans and their land?

Is it when wealthy, white, European immigrants brought over indentured servants to do the hard labor with promises of freedom and prosperity that most would never see?

Is it when wealthy, white, European immigrants realized indentured servants were too expensive and risky to keep, yet shipping Africans to the US and having them do all the hard labor proved more economical? Slaves catapulted America’s wealth, so is it their blood, sweat, and tears the “again” you’re referring to?

Or is it when wealthy, white immigrants used children and women to work in factories with no regulation during the Industrial Revolution the “again” you’re referring to?

Maybe you’re talking about when wealthy, white Americans ostracized the Chinese ignoring the fact that we have a transcontinental railroad because of them, or once ostracizing the Italians, or the Irish, or the Jewish immigrants despite their contributions to every aspect of society from constructing buildings in NY to food to music to art, etc. And now society wishes to ostracize Latinos forgetting that any food one has in his or her fridge or any food that one orders at a restaurant was brought about, most likely, because of a migrant, South American worker. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta mean nothing to you, obviously.

Does your “again” refer to the time when wealthy, white Americans segregated towns and cities, sending money to white schools and very little to no money for books and materials to black schools but then ridiculed an entire race for being “dumb?”

Or is the “again” about the time when white Americans lynched blacks and other minorities, some even hog-tied and dragged behind pick-up trucks? Are you like a KKK member who’s so rebellious you’d refuse to wear your hood? Is a KKK America the “again” you’re referring to?

See, Mr. Trump, America is only as good as its leaders and citizens. Our history has a lot of pain and hatred. It’s astonishing that you are proud to be a face to that, and that you’re proud to encourage the continuation of that pain and hatred. Maybe you do feel that bringing back the laws that allowed for so much hatred, racism, and murder of specific groups is what would make America great “again,” but I would hope to think, no, I want to believe that there are more of us Americans who want to honor our differences rather than chastise and divide. America is a country filled with people who aren’t afraid of hard work, who aren’t afraid to try new ground, and who aren’t afraid to work together regardless of religion, background, sexual orientation, or race. Perhaps you’re hard-pressed to believe this, but America is not a reality show.

I was once a school teacher, and once gave a test to my students that most failed. I took a step back and realized that their inability to pass the test wasn’t a reflection on whether or not they studied, but a reflection on my inability to have correctly taught the lesson. So, I had to go back and figure out another way to reteach the lesson because it was important to me for them to understand it more than it was to keep my students down. Your strategy is to keep most Americans down, and when you have a country filled with people who are kept down, it is a reflection of the leader, not the individuals. A leader’s role is to think about what’s best for everyone, not just for the few. You may think you’re a leader because your bank account has more zeroes than I could ever fathom, but you mistake money for intelligence and your supporters mistake celebrity for intelligence.

You’ve run quite a circus and made a mockery of our democratic process, but I have faith that, at some point, the lights will turn dark on your circus and you will find yourself back in the board room trying to figure out another way to be a headline. Perhaps the headline will be something like, “Donald Trump Reinvents Himself Again,” because, after all, the chance to become someone in the US, even over and over, is what makes America great all the time.

Sincerely,

Vejune J. Baltrusaitis