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Your Choice in November: Medicaid Expansion or Daugaard Death Panel

Michael Larson reads NPN's report that the PPACA Medicaid expansion could save 38 to 95 South Dakotans' lives, uses the word deontological, and declares Dennis Daugaard a death panel of one. Brilliant!

The Governor's decision to not expand Medicaid fails basic levels of moral reasoning. On a utilitarian level, the expansion would actually improve South Dakota's economy, improve access to healthcare for thousands, reduce the financial burden on counties, and save lives. On a deontological level, expansion saves lives, and that is a universal action that can and should always be followed. The Governor's arguments about cost were addressed, the Governor's compassion for the state's working poor have been found lacking, and now the Governor's decision has allowed him to play the role of Sarah Palin's death panels in regards to South Dakota's citizens [Michael Larson, "Daugaard's Death Panel of One," Taking a Left Turn in South Dakota, 2014.04.22].

Save money, save lives: expand Medicaid! And if your Governor won't do it, elect Democrats who will.

30 Comments

  1. Michael B 2014.04.23

    In how many districts can the voters send a Democrat to Pierre? It looks like a lot of Republicans are running unopposed.

  2. larry kurtz 2014.04.23

    Only registered Democrats should be able to vote in Dem primaries: 'independents' have too much control over our candidates.

  3. owen reitzel 2014.04.23

    I agree with Mr. Larson and he's right. But it's Democrats that will have to get elected in the gocvernors race if we want Medicaid expanded. Nobody else running for Governor will expand it.

  4. Rorschach 2014.04.23

    Doesn't Governor Daugaard have taxpayer funded health insurance? Just think of how much money he could cut from the budget if he did away with health insurance for all state employees and their dependents. What a conservative hero he would be if he could eliminate all government-funded healthcare except the bare minimum required by the evil federal government.

  5. Roger Cornelius 2014.04.23

    Daugaard Death Panel of One, how about Daugaard Death Czar?

  6. Tim 2014.04.23

    Willing to kill South Dakotans just because he doesn't like the black dude in the white house. I wonder if he has a problem with what he looks at when he shaves in the morning, I sure would.

  7. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.04.23

    That is indeed good writing. I like both "Death Panel of One," and "Death Czar."

    There are some deft mental games being played when someone like the Death Czar can willingly allow people to die unnecessarily when he can stop it - and he doesn't. Death Czar is accurate.

    What kind of strange distortions happen inside his skull to enable him to avoid overwhelming mental torment? It's probably similar to insurance people who deny coverage for a lifesaving treatment. Only more so. Maybe more like the scammers who cheat elders out of their last cent and laugh about leaving a 90 year old woman destitute and homeless.

    Why would anyone vote for such sociopaths?

  8. grudznick 2014.04.23

    I am hearing that Lora Hubbel did push-ups today at a press conference. Who saw this?

  9. JeniW 2014.04.23

    It was not Lora doing the push-ups it was former USD law instructor Mike Myers.

    Check out the KDLT web-site.

  10. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.23

    Good grief: will "Drop and give me 20" be a regular debate question?

  11. Lanny V Stricherz 2014.04.23

    Jeni is right. It was Mike Myers and he did 20 on an upward slant and they would have made any Marine proud for how straight his back was. And Owen is right Mike Myers will not expand medicaid, but he has a very intriguing healthcare proposal that is probably even better than Universal Single Payer. He brings a whole new approach to healthcare as a former Law Professor at USD and a former CEO at St Mary's in Rochester. He talked about the tax free status of both Sanford and Avera calling themselves non profit, and constant expansion with their millions in advertising and their CEO and executive as well as doctor pay in the 7 digits.

  12. JeniW 2014.04.23

    Are the Board of Directors of either or both hospitals paid for being Board members? I am not talking about per-diem or reimbursements, I am talking about a salary or wages.

    Are there people who own stock at either hospitals? are the stockholders receiving dividends?

    If so, that would make both hospitals more likely to be a for profit organization.

    If take away the non-profit status, that would mean that the donors to the various programs would not be able to count their donation as tax-deductible. Off the top of my head I am thinking that both hospitals' hospice programs rely to a certain extent on donations, the cancer care programs and donors to both can claim tax-deductions.

    think I read somewhere that although the hospitals do not have to pay property tax at the hospitals locations, but they have to pay property where the clinics are.

    Do some of the staff make a heap of money, sure they do. But they also had to pay a lot to getting their training, and have greater responsibilities, than let's say the receptionist at the front desk.

  13. grudznick 2014.04.23

    I was really hoping somebody had a movie of Ms. Hubbel doing pushups. Darn it.

  14. Jenny 2014.04.24

    Daugaard is also protecting insurance company profits like the one Mike Rounds is part owner of - Fisher Rounds Associates. Republicans are always more about profit than helping the poor and working class folks.

  15. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.24

    Larry, what evidence is there that Independents have exerted any control over Democrats?

  16. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.24

    Michael, by my count, Democrats have left 8 Senate seats and 22 House seats unchallenged. Republicans have left 5 Senate seats and 8 House seats unchallenged.

  17. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.24

    Lanny, nothing is better than universal single payer, but many things would be better than Daugaard's fatal stinginess.

  18. Jenny 2014.04.24

    That's another problem, why aren't the democrat that are left in SD running for seats? You are just making it too easy for the one-party rule to keep reigning.

  19. Jenny 2014.04.24

    People like Roger Cornelius, Lanny Stricherz, and Bill Dithmer would make excellent candidates for House seats. I'm serious you guys! You're all very intelligent, and really know the issues and problems of SD.

  20. larry kurtz 2014.04.24

    So-called 'independents' could nominate fake Democrats in races for the Legislature this cycle: we have to be careful not to run multiple talent for the same statewide posts. The gubernatorial race could be monkey-wrenched although both candidates are well qualified.

  21. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.24

    Oh, Jenny, you get me thinking: the network necessary to run a petition challenge could be tweaked just a bit into a network to coordinate a slate of legislative candidates to run as Madville Times candidates. Hee hee hee... or we could just get behind Democrats, put Joe Lowe in office, and expand Medicaid!

    Larry, do we have so-called independents doing that this cycle?

  22. larry kurtz 2014.04.24

    Why would Republicans be changing registration if it wasn't to monkey wrench Dem primaries?

  23. Tara Volesky 2014.04.24

    Cory, you're just jealous of the 77 year old professor because he can do more pushups than you.

  24. Steve O'Brien 2014.04.24

    The problem is not politics but partisanship. More and more, here in "independent thinking SD," the state continues to be more GOP allied. It is allegiance to party, not to principle. Now candidates can be absolute wing-nuts, but fly the GOP flag, and partisanship takes care of the voter support.

    Honestly, I think it is ruinous that party, not positions, that garners the more of the vote.

    Denying Medicaid expansion was done by the GOP; they are the "Pro-life" party; therefore denying Medicaid IS pro-life.

    Keep ideas to the length of a bumper sticker, get a "R" in front of your name on the ballot, and get ready to run a state.

    This is not Democrats versus Republicans, it is Packers versus Vikings. Choose a jersey, fly a banner and fanatically cheer for your team to crush the other -- because they are your team.

  25. Roger Cornelius 2014.04.24

    Jenny,
    Thanks for the mention of being a potential candidate, but that is not my style. I much prefer being a political operative and working on campaigns and for politicians I believe in.

    I'm thinking that Czar Daugaard has his adding machine fired up and is crunching numbers to see how medicaid will provide income to the state and his cronies.

    Look for Joe Lowe to make medicaid expansion a humane and financial issue in his campaign, Czar Daugaard will be compelled to answer for his position.

    From what I am hearing and seeing, there are more and more Republicans that agree with medicaid expansion, to say nothing of the medical community and local governments that also supports it.

    It's political season in South Dakota, watch for the Czar to make a move on this before the November general election.

  26. mike from iowa 2014.04.24

    I'd sneak into SoDak and vote for the Blindman as chief justice and/or poet laureate(or however it is spelled).

  27. larry kurtz 2014.04.24

    poet lariat.

  28. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.04.24

    Hahahaha!
    Funny, Larry!

  29. lesliengland 2014.04.25

    what, 50 to 90 people will die before lowe/wismer will be able to do anything about it?

  30. lesliengland 2014.05.16

    of course repubs will investigate these aca deaths too, ala 40 some deaths awaiting VA backlogs/delays. Shinsecki asked to resign by repubs..."Shinseki has ordered an audit of every VA facility nationwide and similar claims of waiting-list manipulations have cropped up in other states. As the election-year talk surrounding the debate rages, ...." npr, 5/15/14

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