When you hear someone say “waste, fraud and abuse” they’re about to lie to you. It’s the cliche they use, lately, to defend taking away people’s Medicaid. Instead of arguing about policy details, just think about those words in the context of health care.
The patients are not committing fraud. They are not given money they can spend on cars, clothes or illicit drugs. They are given medicine and care.
What do they even mean by abuse in Medicaid? The answer is nothing. It’s just a mantra: “waste, fraud and abuse, waste, fraud and abuse.” And it’s hard to believe there is much waste in a system with such tight budgets. But any that can be pointed out should be eliminated…