Talking about dismantling health care for the poor might seem to clash with balloons and funny hats, but this is a Republican convention, so it fits right in with the celebratory mood.
Many in the parade of governors scheduled to speak tonight have long complained about how much they are forced to spend to keep poor people healthy, and the Republican platform has an answer for them: They can stop worrying.
Medicaid is a “black hole,” the platform says, and is too big and too flawed to be run out of Washington. By turning it into a block grant program and letting the states do what they want with it (i.e., as little as possible), those annoying federal regulations can be deleted.
“Excessive mandates on coverage should be eliminated,” said a draft of the platform, a signal to statehouses that anything goes.
Both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan favor a block-grant system, but the draft platform goes even further in explaining how spending can be squeezed from the program. It’s done largely by blaming the patient. Because 80 percent of health care spending is because of “lifestyle,” the platform says – specifically smoking, obesity, and substance abuse – it’s time to put more emphasis on “personal responsibility.”
MORE: Republican Platform Calls Medicaid a ‘Black Hole.’ – NYTimes.com.