Obamacare will cost PA $1.7 Billion

When supporters of Obamacare tell you the massive government takeover of health care is "revenue neutral," it just means they've figure out a way to hide the fact that you will get hammered with new taxes to pay for it.

From the latest column by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann:

While Obama has been at great pains to make a show of avoiding taxes on the middle class to pay for his health care changes, his proposed increase in Medicaid eligibility will have a huge impact on the 39 states whose income cutoffs for the program are below those required in the new federal legislation.

All states except for Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin (plus the District of Colombia) will have to raise their eligibility for Medicaid under the Senate health care bill. And they will have to pay for part of the cost. Under the House bill, with a higher Medicaid eligibility standard, Massachusetts and Vermont would also have to pay more.

The magnitude of the new Medicaid spending required by Obamacare is such as to transform the nature of state finances. A large part of the reason that some states, particularly in the South, have been able to avoid higher taxes is because they have chosen to keep down the Medicaid eligibility level.

Pennsylvania taxpayers will have to come up with $1.7 billion to pay for for additional costs if Obamacare is approved. This is the same state where the governor and Legislature took 101 days to settle on a 2009-10 General Fund budget. Good luck finding another $1.7 billion from the state's belegured taxpayers.

Read the full column, "Obamacare To Hike State Taxes," at Townhall.com

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS