The Michigan Capitol Confidential News Site is reporting that Governor Snyder’s proposed budget will use tax dollars which were freed up in the General fund when the legislature agreed on a new infrastructure bill, to fund the expanded Obamacare Medicaid program.

Remember last year they found an additional $400 million to put towards our roads prior to the infrastructure bill being passed.  Well now the Governor wants to use those funds to cover the 5% cost our state must pay for the expanded Medicaid program, no longer with the Federal government fully pay for all of the expansion, the state must start picking up the cost.  That cost is expected to be approximately $109 million dollars.

Funny how these funds can be found and then used for other purposes.

Wait wasn’t there an extra $400 million, very observant yes there was. Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services will need another $207 million in taxpayer dollars, the largest increase in spending from the general fund in the executive budget, to deal with the expansion and other increases.

I will be interviewing Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy James Hohman, the author of the article, today on my show to discuss this.

Please join us.

Let’s talk about this today on The Live with Renk show, which airs Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to noon, to let me know your thoughts at (269) 441-9595.

Or please feel free to start a discussion and write your thoughts in the comment section.

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