The American Spectator : Picking on Mitch Daniels

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Picking on Mitch Daniels

By Robert M. Goldberg on 3.10.11 @ 6:07AM

He's not on the road to government-run healthcare.

Consider it the conservative movement's Charlie Sheen moment. Some conservative think tank types have quietly complained that Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and President Obama are on the same road to government run healthcare, albeit at different speeds. This whisper has erupted into a Tiger Blood rant by the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon entitled: "Mitch Daniels's Obamacare Problem: His state's health-care plan promotes dependence on government."

Cannon asserts the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), which uses a mix of Medicaid funding, tobacco taxes, and individual contributions to provide medical insurance to working class Hoosiers, is no different than Obamacare:

Like Obama, Daniels increased cigarette taxes to expand government-run health care. Whereas Obamacare requires states to open their Medicaid programs to families of four earning $31,000 (138 percent of the federal poverty level), Daniels expanded Indiana's Medicaid program to families of four earning $44,000 (200 percent of poverty). From 2008 to 2010, Indiana's Medicaid enrollment spiked: Adult enrollments grew 21 percent, a rate nearly double the national average.

In his effort to paint HIP as a source of government dependence, Cannon misstates much. First, Indiana does not have a Medicaid program for families up to 200 percent of poverty. HIP provides families up to 200 percent of poverty to obtain private health insurance if their employer doesn't offer coverage or if they have been uninsured for 6 months or more. Participants must pay premiums of up to about $100 a month and contribute up to $1100 into a "Personal Wellness and Responsibility" (POWER) Account. POWER accounts are used to pay for deductibles.

Second, Indiana's Medicaid enrollment did not spike 21 percent. It increased 17 percent from 2008-2010, slightly higher than the national average of 14. 6 percent. In 2009-2010 the rate of increase in Indiana's adult Medicaid enrollment declined (as it did in only 16 other states) and did so more dramatically than most.

To establish HIP Daniels shifted authority to state government and made personal responsibility central. Cannon claims Daniels "made Medicaid more attractive: Under his plan, the government hands out coverage plus something a lot like cash." By this logic, the 1996 welfare reform bill and Daniels' recent proposal to extend Indiana's school voucher program to every family promote big government because they both "hand out coverage."

Similarly Cannon has to denigrate the design and impact of HIP to portray Daniels as Obama's healthcare doppelganger. Cannon is half right when claiming HIP spending was higher than expected. Most HIP participants are older and sicker than the rest of Indiana and have had less care to boot. Short-term per patient costs of care were higher, at first. But after three months the average amount spent on participants and the amount of services consumed steadily declines.

There's a reason for that: unlike Medicaid, HIP is not an entitlement but a way to get well. It pays for preventive care. It pays doctors more for treating the most vulnerable. And it rewards staying healthy. If participants use preventive services they can keep HIP contributions to their POWER accounts. Participants are getting healthier, using fewer services. and saving more in their POWER accounts.

HIP has 24,906 adults with dependent children and 20,514 other adults enrolled. It also has a waiting list of more than 40,000 childless adults. That's not increasing dependence, it's unmet need. The federal government bars Indiana from enrolling more people in HIP. Daniels asked for more control over Medicaid dollars to expand the program. Obama said no.

Cannon might applaud the President's action since it stops Daniels' socialist web from spreading. But Obama's decision -- to force people to wait until 2014 to be forced into Medicaid to get coverage -- is causing real people real suffering.

That includes Alice Moeloa of Logansport, Indiana. Ms. Moeloa lives on disability payments and has not had insurance for years. She could get Medicaid only if she gave up her disability support.

According to Indy.com, Moeloa recently applied for HIP:

Her diabetes has caused seeping wounds in her legs, making it difficult for her to walk. Moeloa desperately wants insurance to visit a local wound clinic. Because Moeloa, 57, is on disability, she can apply for Medicare in about a year and a half. But she does not want to wait.

"Every little itty bit scratch I get on my leg, I get infected," she said.

Moeloa is living with the threat of having her legs amputated. Daniels wants more control over health spending to help her and others. President Obama stands at the doctor's front door, turning them away. Cannon's effort to mobilize conservative opposition to HIP leads to the same result. Apparently, that's a small price to pay for "reducing" dependence on government.

About the Author

Robert M. Goldberg is vice president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and founder of Hands Off My H ealth, a grass roots health care empowerment network. His is new book, Tabloid Medicine: How the Internet is Being Used To Hijack Medical Science For Fear and Profit, was published last month by Kaplan.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (36) | Leave a comment

NVA Patriot| 3.10.11 @ 6:26AM

Memo to Republican Establishment:

PLEASE Stop trying to push truce loving, Wisconsin undercutting, gee-I-am-boring candidate for President onto the grass roots.

It won't work.

We're not buying it. He flunked too many early courage tests, he's tone deaf at best, and he's upset more folks than he's won over. How does that make him the right Republican candidate to win, and set the Supreme Court on the Right track after 2012?

Charles Dennison| 3.10.11 @ 7:23AM

I couldn't agree more, NVA Patriot! Mitch does not listen to the people!

jduvall2816| 3.10.11 @ 7:34AM

I guess I still don't understand what responsibility Mitch Daniels, who was elected by Indiana Residents to do Indiana's business and accomplish the agenda the Indiana Republicans set out in their campaings, has to accomodate a Wisconsin political fight that he's already had in his own state. Since the Republican reps (whom I voted for) tried to ram through the 'right to work' Bill they have put in jeapardy every campaign agenda item they ran on. They could have accomplished every item of their agenda before forcing a no-win standoff with Dems.........now, they may have to return to the voters in 2012 and explain why they didn't get the things done that they promised in their election campaigns. That is very poor strategy and Daniels was trying to avoid letting the Republicans embarass themselves.

The Bruce| 3.11.11 @ 1:02AM

Most politicians don't. For nearly one hundred years (the birth of the lobbyist), it's about who's writing the biggest checks.

loulou| 3.10.11 @ 12:35PM

AMEN, NVA Patriot.
I like the motorcycle part of Mitch Daniels but he's no Col. Allen West.

jduvall2816| 3.10.11 @ 7:25AM

Thank you for your insight on this subject Mr. Goldberg. Mitch Daniels is the most conservative candidate the republicans could put up against President Obama in the next election and has the record to prove it. Many people like "NVA Patriot" have lost sight of what a real statesman is supposed to look like and get caught up in hyperbole' the see in the media following a candidate that didn't accomplish half of the things Daniels has in his tenure as Indiana's Governor.

What most people loose sight of is that Governor Walker in Wisconsin repeatedly stated that Daniels record of conservative government reform is what he is trying to mimic in his own state. While some of the other conservative candidates have had variable conservative political success, none of them have had more than Daniels and he's done it over a longer time-frame than Palin/Huckabee/Cain/Walker/Christie......

Only Cain and Romney have similar accomplishments in the private sector as Gov. Daniels. Romney is significantly further left than Daniels in their public sector voting record and Cain doesn't have any accomplishments in the Public Sector. I like Herman Cain, but having never managed a dollar of the publics money makes me think he should run for a Governorship/Senator/Representative and get a little more experience before he is catipulted to the most powerful political position in the modern world.

NVA Patriot| 3.10.11 @ 7:41AM

Pardon me,

I work my but off getting Virginia conservatives elected. The people I am working with are the very people any candidate needs to win. To date we’ve been doing pretty good – Bob McDonnell, Ken Cuchinelli, flipping and controlling the VA House – but don’t worry about us we can’t recognize true talent.

We make the phone calls. We beat the street, knocking on doors; we attend rally's for candidates; we support, sponsor and run fund raisers; we read, learn and try to do the best we can DESPITE the establishment. While doing this we raise our families, do right by our customers and employers, and generally lead good, honest lives.

So I think I have a pretty keen insight on who will and who will NOT motivate the people needed to win.

Mitch is not going to win NVA - You don't win NVA, you are unlikely to win VA and its 11 electoral college votes. Us unsophisticated-unable-to-see-statesmen types are not real bright ;) we just count votes. And when you can't count to ELEVEN in VA you probably lose.

And regarding Statesmen, Churchill was a statesmen - I don't recall him calling for truces with the enemy of his time...so there's MY standard of a Statesman. Yours appears to be not-much-Mitch.

jduvall2816| 3.10.11 @ 8:13AM

NVA Patriot---

I apologize for the cheap-shot in my first post. I'm sure you do work hard for your candidates in VA and I'm gald you do.

However, I urge you to not get lost in the errantly percieved statement of "Truce" by Daniels and look at he record of accomplishment. He has a voting record that spans 7 years in Indiana and not one social conservative issue compromised. He's a practicing Presbyterian who proclaims the salation of Christ, is committed to marriage only between men/women and has denounced "unions" between homosexuals, has always voted 100% pro-life and has set Indiana up as one of the most fiscally sound states in the Union using methods that other Governors are now trying to bring to their own state.

I simply urge you to look at the mans record and reserve judgement on what you percieve his 'Truce' comment would entail.

NVA Patriot| 3.10.11 @ 9:27AM

Apology Accepted - support your candidates they need it - just trying to report a few 'ground game understandings'

Mitch has done damage to himself in NVA - it's up to him to fix it or lose

JP| 3.10.11 @ 8:18AM

NVA Patriot,

Jduval is a troll. I see them all over the blogsphere. Thier strategy is simple - disinformation. They invariably support the liberal Republican cause or candidate out there, post some talking points and leave. By the end of the day, it looks like half the GOP supports Moderate to Liberal Republican candidates. In this case, they understand that Daniels would get his lunch handed to him by Obama; they know that without strong grass roots conservative support, no Republican can win the WH. Hence, thier strategy.

jduvall2816| 3.10.11 @ 8:30AM

Wow! I didn't know I had this sort of notoriety:). Are you just generalizing with the "Troll" comment or specifically talking to me? The main reason I post something then leave is because I have a job that requires me to work. I do enjoy politics but always give an honest opinion on who I think the best candidate is and try to back it with credible facts.

Can you name a candidate that has a better conservative record than Daniels over the last 7 years? If so please let me know. And exactly what "disinformation" did I leave? I'm pretty sure I used checkable facts.

Please let me know and I'll try to source my "disinformation" for you to also check. Maybe we can both become more educated today.

JP| 3.10.11 @ 9:10AM

"Can you name a candidate that has a better conservative record than Daniels over the last 7 years? If so please let me know. And exactly what "disinformation""

In a field filled with "moderates" and Progressive Republicans that is difficult to do. But since you asked, the answer is Pawlenty. BTW, Mitch was for implementing a VAT tax, implementing all day kindergarten and mandetory pre-school (before the recession those 2 items were high on his list. Kind of a sop to the teacher's unions at the taxpayer's expense). Before the Dems walked out, Mitch caved on his school voucher and reform bills, and allowed the Senate Dems to gut both (so much for his priorities).

But most telling about your hero Mitch is how a old political pol named Pat Bauer made a fool of him. When Baue and his cohorts walked out, the first thing Mitch did was to cave (scolding his own party in public wasn't the wisest thing to do). When Mitch forced the House Dems to pull the Right to Work bill off the agenda, Bauer produced 11 more demands. If Mitch could get rolled so easily by someone like Bauer, just think what Pelosi and Reid will do.

Mitch is a political idiot with a soul of an accountant. Only a troll would push this man. One last thing, in a Pew Poll conducted last December 58% of Hoosier Conservatives said that they would not support Mitch for President.

jduvall2816| 3.10.11 @ 9:50AM

I like Pawlenty a good deal and if Daniels doesn't run I will probably support him over the other candidates.

Here is a list of what I could find on Pawlenty's accomplishments they were listed at a sight called (conservative-alternative).

1. He has balanced Minnesota’s budget, without any tax raises! (so did Daniels)
2. He has cut state income taxes (Daniels did not cut/raise income taxes in 8 years)
3. Increased benefits for Minnesota’s veterans (Daniels passed a large veterans benefits package also)
4. He has capped property taxes (Daniels cut property taxes and capped them at the lowest rate in the country)
5. Toughening the states education requirements, eliminating that idea of No Child Left Behind’s teaching the test mentality. (Daniels will soon pass an education reform package that will revolutionize the subject allowing education tax dollars to go the private schools including religious schools)
6. Set forth a plan to have 25% of Minnesota’s energy from Minnesota’s natural resources (wind, solar, natural gas) by 2025.(Daniels has also stated this goal but wants to include clean coal as a means to achieve)

In addition to this, Daniels stripped public unions of bargaining rights (Pawlenty did not)

Daniels provided a blue-print for how a public funded healthcare program (HIP) could help those who really need the assistance and was able to balance this program within the proposed budgets. (Pawlenty did not)

When cutting funding for unecessary programs Daniels increased funding and workers for Child Protection agency in Indiana (Pawlenty did not)

Daniels revamped Indiana BMV and closed many inefficient branches but managed to improve the productivity to a point where there is an average waiting time of 7 minutes (Pawlenty did not)

Under Daniels, Indiana now has the lowest number of state workers per capita of any state in the country (Pawlenty did not accomplish this)

Daniels pushed through a law requiring women to have an ultra-sound and must wait 24 hours before being elegible to have an abortion. (Pawlenty did not)

Daniels never tried to push a VAT tax agenda. He simply said that we need to look at all options and vet them in the arena of public opinion. He has also looked at the advantages of a Flat tax and Fair tax two options most conservatives would love if it eliminated the income tax.

I grabbed these last facts by googling Daniels accomplishments. They are readily available.

Again, I like Pawlenty, but he is not more conservative than Daniels and has not accomplished as much.

loulou| 3.10.11 @ 12:38PM

Pawlenty??! That says it all. A pantywaist who allowed Al Franken to steal the election in his state.

No wonder you like Daniels.

idalily| 3.10.11 @ 6:30PM

Jeez, people, get a grip. If we can't come together better than this, we're toast. There is nothing wrong with Daniels or Pawlenty. I know they aren't that arbiter of all things conservative that is Palin (sarc off now) but can we please remember it's the Dems we should be fighting, not each other?

wodiej| 3.10.11 @ 1:22PM

You've got to be kidding me? I'm from Indiana and Gov. Sarah Palin is just as conservative as Daniels if not more.

JimH| 3.10.11 @ 8:41AM

I'm glad you mentioned Viginia. For a moment I thought we had a poster from Hanoi. ;->

catman | 3.11.11 @ 5:54AM

All can say is Read Sarah Palin Record for 20 Years of Public Service. She is the best for POTUS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

RUN SARAH RUN

PLEASE!

Donna| 3.10.11 @ 7:35AM

With all due respect sir, have you seen the Republican bench of candidates? The only candidate that can beat O is Daniels right now. This article is setting the record straight not shoveling a candidate down your throat. I am glad to see it quite frankly because we need journalist that will call out their counterpart journalist hacks with the moral turpitude to present such an insufficiently researched article.
Keep it coming as far as I am concerned.
Wouldn’t be great to have O’Keefe at the White House Basketball party?

catman| 3.11.11 @ 5:09PM

with all do respect

Everyone seems to love to hate Sarah Palin; everyone, that is, except for the hardcore Republican base -- and yours truly. Her devoted following gives her a head start if she decides to run. And for political instincts, this woman makes Hillary look like she is standing still.

In some ways, Palin reminds me of female version of Ronald Reagan in 1980. The press dubbed him incompetent and unelectable. The people found him magnetic and about two tons smarter than he was given credit for.

Keep a watchful eye on Palin. She learned the ropes during her vice-presidential campaign as John McCain's running mate. My only advice to her would be to stop putting down every other Republican. Otherwise, she's good to go if she decides to run.

vb| 3.10.11 @ 7:52AM

NVA Patriot,
I am happy for thoughtful articles that try to show distinctions between policies. I fail to see how learning more about the nuts and bolts of complex issuues like health care programs equates choosing Mitch Daniels as my favorite presidential candidate. It does, however, give some insight into the way he thinks and tackles problems. We are now stuck with a unexamined president. I hope we don't make the same mistake twice.

Clint| 3.10.11 @ 8:19AM

Daniels is having problems with Social Conservatives.
"Unless he does a mea culpa--I was wrong--he has no chance of winning the nomination," said Richard Land, one of the nation's most politically seasoned social conservative leaders. "You can't win the nomination without pro life and pro family votes and they are not going to vote for him when he says you have to go to the back of the bus. Those days are over."

idalily| 3.10.11 @ 6:34PM

Then pro-life and pro-family voters had better accept the end of America as we know it. Very few truly Social have even a chance at the Indie vote (I can't think of one except maybe Jim DeMint). Without the Indies, we can't win. If we don't win, Obama will get at least one, maybe two SCOTUS judges and it will be over. Game. Set. Match. PLEASE, PEOPLE, GET A FREAKIN' CLUE!!!

Clint| 3.10.11 @ 6:46PM

Many Independents are Social Conservatives, as well as Fiscal Conservatives.

We see that in Our Tea Party Patriots.
That's why many of We Tea Party Patriots are urging Jim DeMint to run.

Demint says he is considering running, now that Mike Pence dropped out & DeMint has a bigger PAC War Chest than Romney and DeMint's dwarfs all other's War Chests.

JP| 3.10.11 @ 9:19AM

One last thing about our Man Mitch and the Dem walk-out is a simple fact that almost all have overlooked. The Right to Work bill pushed by the House GOP stood little chance of passage in the state senate (at least in its current form). The Indiana GOP Senate leadership already voiced strong reservations about the bill. What Bauer and the Dems did was a little bit of theatrics. And it worked. Mitch played into thier trap perfectly. Bauer knew that the bill would die in the committess of the senate. But he knew Mitch better than most. He knew that Daniels vanity would compel him to look "mature" and "adult". Daniels fell for it by not siding with his own party. The state houses are where all kinds of legislation are proposed and passed. And like the US Senate. the state senates are where 90% of those bills die.

Daniles would make a great cabinet secretary, but he has proven that he is incapable of being President.

Bob| 3.10.11 @ 10:04AM

So Indiana Governor Runt wants to be President. Newt's achilles heel is his personal life, cheating on his wives-naughty, naughty. The Runt has a similar problem but it's his cheating wife. The salacious press will have a field day hunting down wife's lover boy. I can't wait for TMZ to dig up all the dirt and expose what a sham marriage the runt has. No wonder he called for a truce with social issues since he can't account for his wayward wife.

loulou| 3.10.11 @ 12:40PM

There's nothing wrong with being short.
What's your problem, Bob?

Clint| 3.10.11 @ 1:40PM

On the other hand, Daniels could run for Emperor of France.

NeilBJ| 3.10.11 @ 12:35PM

Indiana, if its Constitution permits, has a perfect right to implement its own health care plan. A power not delegated to the federal government is reserved to the states.

I want to make sure that when we argue about govenment run health care we make that distinction.

The Massachusetts health care bill is a disaster. Better that one or two states deal with their own disasters than the federal government foist its disaster on the entire nation.

States can then learn from each other and see what works, so that the disasters will not be propagated. When the federal goverment creates a disaster, it is instantly propagated to all the states at once.

wodiej| 3.10.11 @ 1:28PM

I have been out of work for over a year and live in one of the largest cities in Indiana and we have seen little job growth. Perhaps the Governor could spend more time helping people find jobs instead of letting them get on public funded health care insurance. I am not eligible-I have no kids and I'm not poor enough. On a personal note, he has some baggage involving his wife and I'm sure he doesn't want it aired. I know his wife doesn't.

JP| 3.10.11 @ 4:07PM

This will surely be a campaign slogan used against the next GOP gubenatorial canididate in 2012 (Probably Mike Pence). Indiana, like Michigan, like Illinois, like Wisconsin, and like Ohio have some of the highest labor costs in the nation due primairily to unions. And for those businesses that are not unionized there is the constant danger that the workers will force unionization sometime in the future. This was exactly what was addressed by the House GOP leadership in its Right to Work legislation.

States like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina do not have this burden. Manufacturing in Indiana was not lost only to overseas outsourcing, but also to other states where the right to work is law.

Not only has the govenor of Indiana but the political leadership of the GOP has done a dismal job in communicating to the voters what labor unions have done not only to local education but to the jobs market.

e cowan| 3.10.11 @ 1:57PM

"Some conservative think tank types have quietly complained that Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and President Obama are on the same road to government run healthcare,"
Whatever other bad policy he supports - his being one of the "Ethanol Four" RINO's (Republican presidential nominees: Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, South Dakota senator John Thune, and Indiana congressman Mike Pence...Katrina Trinko writes on NRO: What kind of Republican supports high tariffs on imports, dubious green tax credits, and consumption mandates to prop up ) - makes him a loser in my book!

kingsmill| 3.10.11 @ 3:10PM

Mitt, Newt and Mitch are all damaged goods. Hit the eject button.

loulou| 3.10.11 @ 4:03PM

Add Pawlenty and Jeb Bush to the list.
I'm for Cain/Bachmann. Cojones, baby.

PCP Smoker| 3.10.11 @ 8:57PM

Let's get rid of this scumbag before idiot republicans start thinking he's the best we have. Do recall it was republicans who thought McLame was a good choice.