The Republican Governors Association took aim at Rick
Snyder’s Democratic opponent on health care issues, but the result was a need
for RGA medical assistance – for shooting themselves in the foot.
A new attack ad released by the RGA today criticizes Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer for a 2002 state
House vote by the former representative that imposed a new per-bed fee on
nursing homes. 
But the RGA ignored a few key facts.
As the Democrats are quick to note, the
Medicaid Quality Assurance Assessment Program was enthusiastically backed by Republican
Gov. John Engler, won bipartisan support in the state
Legislature and was later extended
by Gov. Rick Snyder, whom
Schauer is challenging.
According to MLive, which first reported the RGA’s distortion, the
program is designed to win tens of millions of federal matching dollars and
then return them to nursing homes that participate in Michigan’s Medicaid
program.
At a 2002
press conference, with health insurers at his side, Engler said: “In this
period of constrained state revenue, we must maximize every non-state revenue
source available to us. 
“I am pleased to support this very important initiative because it
will allow Michigan to earn additional federal funding to help continue quality
medical and long-term care to low-income families and the disabled. I applaud
the efforts of these two provider groups – the Health Care Association of
Michigan and the Michigan Association of Health Plans — for working hard to
identify ways to maintain quality health care during this difficult financial
period.”
The RGA ad claims Schauer’s 2002 vote
is among the candidate’s past decisions that “defy reason.” Obviously, the
Republican governor’s group, after failing to do its homework, is now licking its
self-inflicted wounds.

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