Issue Position: Fighting Obamacare

Issue Position

State Representative Al Pscholka believes the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, is bad federal policy. A one-size fits all, top-down federal health care system is neither affordable nor caring. So Al went to work to protect Michigan taxpayers and build healthier communities. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work on fixing Medicaid, now known as Healthy Michigan, leading the largest reform ever undertaken on the program in Michigan history. Those reforms were based on free market principles and conservative ideas designed to give patients a choice, and not make them dependent on government benefits for years and years.

Not fixing Medicaid would have meant more control in Washington D.C. Not fixing Medicaid and just voting "No" would have meant Michigan taxpayers would have donated $1.5 billion each year to the charitable cause of Washington D.C., never to get anything in return. Not fixing Medicaid would have sent those dollars to other states to make their citizens healthier. Not fixing Medicaid would have increased the $900 million in uncompensated care in Michigan and led to higher insurance and medical costs for everyone. Not fixing Medicaid to score political points was bad policy for people. Here are the real results:

Reforming Medicaid will save state taxpayers more than $1 billion over 10 years.

Medicaid reform provides private health savings accounts for smarter and more cost effective options.

Medicaid recipients are now required to pay deductibles, co-pays, and premiums like everybody else.

Using the emergency room for routine care will result in higher out-of-pocket costs.

Incentives for healthy behaviors are created, and it is a 100 percent privatized system where private sector health plans compete for customers.

Requires 100 percent federal funding or the program ends, giving taxpayers short- and long-term protection.

A 48-month cap on benefits. After 48 months, recipients will have to pay 7 percent of their income to stay on Healthy Michigan, or purchase health care on the exchange.

Gives 7,500 Berrien County residents access to preventative care and wellness, reducing uncompensated care costs for everyone.

Healthy Michigan gives Michigan residents options, taxpayers protection from Obamacare, and for the first time puts free market principles into Medicaid.

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