Murder, Inc. (or Murder Incorporated or the Brownsville Boys; known in syndicate circles as The Combination) was the name given by the press to organized crime groups in the 1920s through the 1940s that resulted in hundreds of murders on behalf of ... early organized crime groups in New York and elsewhere. The name was a journalistic invention.
I see a Present-day "Murder Incorporated."
But first, the definition of "MURDER."
The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another
And next, I make my case ...
1) The Affordable Health Care and Patient Protection Act (PPACA), a.k.a. "Obamacare" by the right wing Obama-haters and the bought-off-by-the-insurance-lobby legislators ... is LAW, confirmed recently by the Supreme Court of the United States.
2) The PPACA LAW will subsidize Medicaid in the states ... at first, 100% ... and eventually ... 90%!
For the record ...
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, including low-income adults, their children, and people with certain disabilities. Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify someone for Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with limited income in the United States.
Also for the record a number of STATE GOVERNORS ... ALL REPUBLICANS ... despite the LAW and despite the funding, have said they will not implement the Medicaid provisions of the PPACA.
Understand ...
Although ten Republican governors have pledged not to accept the Medicaid expansion funds in the Affordable Care Act and 22 other governors are also considering turning down the money, Think Progress explains how these funds save money for the states:
1. Under Obamacare, states no longer have to finance health insurance for people above 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Many states fund health insurance programs which cover residents living at more than 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Obamacare makes residents at higher than 133 percent of the FPL eligible for subsidized health insurance through state insurance exchanges at no cost to states. For example, Idaho would no longer have to fund health insurance for its 63 percent of uninsured residents who are above 133 percent of the FPL, reducing its $47 million annual uncompensated care cost to $17.3 million.
2. Under Obamacare, states pay billions less to cover people below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. States pay billions in health insurance programs for residents living at less than 133 percent of the FPL. After five years of Obamacare, the federal government will cover 90 percent of insurance costs for state residents making less than 133 percent of the FPL. For the first three years of the expanded Medicaid program, the federal government will cover 100 percent of Medicaid costs. The surveyed states will save $4.2 billion (100 percent of their uncompensated care costs) annually for the first three years, and $3.0 billion annually starting in 2019. For example, Michigan pays $212 million annually in uncompensated care costs. After five years of Obamacare, Michigan would have to pay only $68 million annually in the expanded Medicaid program.
3. By making health insurance universally available, Obamacare slashes the “hidden tax” states pay in health insurance premiums. States pay a “hidden tax” in the form of higher insurance premiums to account for the cost of covering the uninsured. “By greatly reducing uncompensated care,” the Council explains, Obamacare works to “reduce this hidden tax.” For example, North Carolina would see its annual $58.6 million insurance premium “tax” reduced to reflect a much smaller number of people without health insurance.
So, the way I see it, here is one scenario that has led us to this point in time ... It is MY EDITORIAL COMMENT ...
1) The Mitt Romneys of the U.S. EXPORT JOBS IN ORDER TO LINE THEIR OWN POCKETS
2) Americans ... the MIddle Class and Working Poor ... LOSE THEIR JOBS AS A RESULT and THEIR HEALTH CARE!
3) These out-of-work Americans along with the perennially impoverished DEPEND ON MEDICAID in many cases AS A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH!
4) MANY OF THEM WILL BECOME SERIOUSLY ILL AND DIE because of the REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS who will not accept the Medicaid provision of the PPACA!
5) And those who will die, will die CONTRARY TO WHAT THE LAW OTHERWISE MANDATES! Some will be children.
To me ... I repeat ... TO ME ... IN MY OPINION ...
IT'S MURDER!
And because these REPUBLICANS are beholden to CORPORATE MONEY (i.e. ALEC and the Koch Brothers) ... metaphorically and to a degree, in a realistic sense ... it's a present-day incarnation of ...
MURDER INCORPORATED.