I am writing to you to ask you to help this unlearned citizen understand why a resolution is needed by the Chairman Corey Stewart to determine the number of people affected by the expansion of the Medicaid criteria under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I simply wrote to the Prince William County Department of Social Services and within a few days received a reply from Mr. Dennis E. McFeeley, Divi-sion Chief of Benefits, Employment and Child Care Programs. His telephone number and email address are: Phone: (703) 792-4315 Email: dmcfeeley@pwcgov.org.
By the way, the estimated number is 15,200 of the poorest of the poor.
It would seem to me that Mr. Stewart could simply pick up the telephone and call Mr. McFeeley or Mr. Ric Perez, the acting director of the Department of Social Services, and pose the question he has included in his draft resolution. While I don't have Mr. Perez's direct telephone number, the main number is 703-792-7500. I suspect whoever answers the telephone would be more than glad to connect Mr. Stewart with Mr. Perez.
Yes, I agree it would prudent to determine how much the Medicaid expansion will cost Prince William County, but considering that it will be some 14 years before the county must begin cost sharing, any esti-mation would at best be an onageristic estimate. Again, a telephone call might work.
On the other hand, if Mr. Stewart is using a resolution to stick the board's collective finger in the federal government's eye, I strongly recommend against this. We've already been made to look the fool too many times.
Therefore, I am left to draw the conclusion that this tempest in a teapot is nothing more than political pos-turing on Mr. Stewart's behalf to satisfy his political base and the members of the Tea Party whose meetings he frequents as a speaker. If my conclusion is wrong, would someone be so kind as to let me know?
Manassas
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