Markwayne Mullin went on CNN this morning to lie some more about the Big Beastly Bill that denies healthcare to people who need it and don’t have enough money to pay for it. Clearly he doesn’t understand Medicaid, or he’d know that the “waste and fraud” he speaks of would be at the provider level, since no individual actually receives money. They just receive the healthcare they need, something that just absolutely frustrates Republicans who think healthcare is only for white people who speak good English. Or maybe Russians. I’m not sure about that.
The framing he engages in is just enraging, not only because it’s a lie but because it dehumanizes people. And just as a reminder, CBO estlimates that nearly 11 million people will lose access to healthcare. 11 MILLION.
“We’re not talking about people that deserve and qualify for Medicaid or Medicare,” Mullin protested when pressed by Dana Bash. What we’re doing is getting rid of the waste and fraud.”
Let that sink in. People getting access to healthcare have to “deserve” it. They have to be worthy of something which is a basic human right. And worse, he’s calling those people “waste and fraud.”
But wait, there’s more.
There’s over six million people on Medicaid right now that do not qualify underneath current policies.
