Coverage Isn’t Care
What to know: Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma is failing rural hospitals, a new report says; after that state opted to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act, “the share of rural hospitals facing financial challenges has increased.”
The TPPF take: The problem isn’t a lack of coverage.
“With 92% of the public holding some sort of health care coverage, the Biden administration misses a fundamental point: The real problem is not a lack of coverage but a lack of access to care,” says TPPF’s Andrea Hitt. “The increasing rural hospital closures and physician shortages greatly undermine people’s ability to seek care. Residents in rural areas who now have to travel farther for care often face worse health outcomes.”
For more on the ACA and rural health care, click here.
Denying the Defunding
What to know: In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden took credit for a recent minor drop in crime rates.
The TPPF take: Local police in places like Dallas deserve the credit for any decrease in crime.
“Let’s give credit where credit is due,” says TPPF’s Brett Tolman. “Yes, it’s encouraging that crime is beginning to drop after historic increases during the pandemic, but the Biden administration’s big government, free-spending blank checks were not the hero of the day. What makes communities safer is the actions of law enforcement, community leaders and local governments.”
For more on policing and crime rates, click here.
Shrinking Excuses
What to know: President Biden is attempting to soothe American voters hit hard by inflation; he contends that manufacturers are to blame for “shrinkflation.”
The TPPF take: The problem isn’t shrinkflation.
“Shrinkflation is a byproduct of high inflation, which was the predictable result of a massive government spending overreaction to the pandemic, according to economists,” says TPPF’s Brian Phillips. “While Biden is busy counting chips, America is looking at everything else on their grocery list. Our friends at the Heritage Foundation crunched the latest consumer data. Poultry, dairy, lunchmeat, juice, baby food and formula prices have all jumped more than 20 percent since Biden took office. Eggs are up over 35 percent.”
For more on inflation and shrinkflation, click here.