On the recordMarch 1, 2011
Right now, States are having these huge budget crises. We see in Wisconsin where there's a protest. We see in some States where there may be as much as a $10 billion budget deficit. In my State of Louisiana, there is a $1 billion to $2 billion budget deficit. And if you think about this a little bit deeply, you understand that this can be related to health care. Now, specifically, for Medicaid. Medicaid, for those watching who are unfamiliar with it, is a combined program in which the State puts up some money and the Federal Government puts up some of the money, and with this it is used to care for the elderly, for pregnant women, for children, typically people of low income. Well, as it turns out, it is this program which is bankrupting the States. In a State, if you're paying this amount for health care and this amount for roads and this amount for education, as the amount for health care increases, you either raise taxes or you decrease spending on the other areas.
