New Medicaid Expansion Constitutional Amendment proposed for South Dakota by state’s medical community

@SoDakCampaigns

As you might have read this past week, a Constitutional Amendment for Medicaid Expansion has been submitted to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council for review in preparation of further moving forward in the ballot measure process:

2022 Proposed Constitutional Amendment Medicaid Expansion by Pat Powers on Scribd

Unlike a prior measure approved for circulation coming from Democrat political activists and ballot measure profiteers Drey Samuelson and Rick Weiland, this measure appears to be moving forward from the South Dakota health care community, as led by Tim Rave, CEO of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO). Rave is a former Republican Senate Majority Leader, and former Chair of the South Dakota Republican Party.

According to KELO Radio:

The group, which includes the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, AARP South Dakota, Avera Health, Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board, Monument Health, Sanford Health, South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, South Dakota Farmers Union, South Dakota Medical Association and South Dakota Nurses Association, recently formed a ballot committee called South Dakotans Decide Healthcare. The group has already submitted ballot language to the Attorney General for review.

and…

“Our members are very committed to ensuring every South Dakotan has access to affordable healthcare, and that includes expanding Medicaid,” said Tim Rave, President and CEO of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations. “This initiative will deliver healthcare to hardworking South Dakotans, keep rural hospitals open, and boost our economy.”

Read it all here.

What do you think?

20 thoughts on “New Medicaid Expansion Constitutional Amendment proposed for South Dakota by state’s medical community”

  1. I think this would be the most expensive ballot measure ever.

    It is not free money from the federal government the SD match is huge…where is all that money coming from?

  3. I think Rave is a traitor to conservative principles. Every picture of him should be removed from the Capitol. Every mention of his name should be stricken from the records.

    1. Noem could punish him. He is part of her inner circle. She won’t.

      Daugaard wanted it before. Noem hired his Chief of Staff to be hers.

      It’s hard to know what any of the R’s in Pierre want.

      I suspect this will pass with 60%-65% support.

  4. How many of Biden’s new illegal immigrants will end up in Sourh Dakota on medicaid if this is expanded? How much will it cost every South Dakotan for our match? How much will it cost all of us through higher federal taxes? People make it sound like it is just free money out there off a government tree…nothing is free! Somebody is paying for any “free” money.

  6. Tim Rave, if you want to ensure every South Dakotan has access to affordable healthcare, why don’t you lower the frinking costs?

    Instead, you want a Constitutional Amendment requiring hard-working taxpayers to foot the bill to pay rich doctors and hospitals. And you have the gall to put it in the Constitution so our elected representatives can’t protect us from you.

    Shame on you Tim Rave.

    1. He will earn every penny of his $500k a year job.

      Rave is a nice guy. I suspect this passes easy. He’s also smart.

      I’m getting tired of these constitutional amendments. IM’s are good but CA’s not so much. Make IM’s easier and CA’s really hard.

  7. Isn’t there some loopholes in the tax system that hospitals don’t have to pay? Maybe we should removed those.

  8. This is a big giveaway to hospitals taxing us with no representation. For all purposes we are a single user system her. You are either Sanford or Avera. BCBS has reduced its foot print significantly in SD. Avera has been pushing this for years. Maybe they should get rid of their tax exempt status then?

    1. Right. What’s the point of a non-profit status for hospitals when charity care no longer exists.

      1. Agreed. If Medicaid is expanded, get ready for a huge influx of people.
        Talk to people from other states who have planned for a certain number of people who would be a part of medicaid expansion and ended with 150 per cent more. We cannot afford this.

  9. The constitution is basic law. Policy should never be in the constitution. Most voters don’t care either way, until the bill comes, and then it’ll be too late.

    1. This approach is even more embarrassing since it comes with the blessing of a former legislator who apparently believes the end justifies the means.

  10. This is truly awful! Let’s just get rid of the legislature and go to a direct democracy.
    Shame on Tim Rave because he knows better!

  11. I guess the medical community assumes since we have deferred all decisions regarding the economy, human behavior, public health (including mental and addiction health), eduction, etc. to them, we should pay them for taking over our lives.

    Instead, we need full price transparency of all medical charges to be reviewed before we select medical care.

  12. This is right down the path that AOC and the squad would like to see us go. More government involvement in health care, more government spending, more people dependent on the government. And when that doesn’t work (because it won’t), then the single payer calls will go out. And in case you aren’t paying attention, more demand for spending on medicaid means less available for education and other government services. I can’t condemn Tim for doing his job, but he and I have a very different view of the proper role of government, that’s for sure.

  13. Agreed. If Medicaid is expanded, get ready for a huge influx of people.
    Talk to people from other states who have planned for a certain number of people who would be a part of medicaid expansion and ended with 150 per cent more. We cannot afford this.
    If this should pass, we need to get rid of those who claim to be non-profits and eliminate them from tax exempt status. That would be a very prudent step.

  14. And remember this:

    While Drs. were calling for the peons to sacrifice their businesses, their jobs, their capacity to feed their family, didn’t care of the impact on people’s mental health, addiction relapse, child abuse, a growing achievement gap from their privileged kids vs. children of lower economic means, these people were still drawing their $250K+ salaries.

    And, since none of their predictions of virility and contagiousness came true (they had data from Europe they ignored which makes me wonder now how much data regarding their patients they ignore and why I no longer support medical malpractice reform), they got it wrong more than they got it right.

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