[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 2, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MEDICAID COSTS

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, in the coming years the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania will have to find $2 billion additional to pay for 
ObamaCare's mandated Medicaid increases. There is little flexibility in 
State budgets this year, and Pennsylvania, like many States, will have 
to make up a significant budget gap this year. The entire State budget 
is only $29 billion. Adding $2 billion more means significant cuts in 
services or significant tax increases.
  Pennsylvania is not alone. According to a new report released 
yesterday, this expansion will cost States $118 billion additional. 
That is twice what was just recently estimated by CBO. We want to 
provide good health care, but we also want to educate our children, 
keep citizens safe, and maintain our rails and roads. Our State 
governments must be more than just health care providers. We must 
provide governors with the flexibility to determine the needs of their 
States.
  Under ObamaCare, Medicaid is more rigid and more expensive, and an 
even greater burden on States struggling to balance their budgets.

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