The House voted 66-32 in favor of allowing the Legislative Auditor to access income tax records of Medicaid recipients, sparking a testy back and forth between bill author, Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala and New Orleans Representative Gary Carter, who voted against it.
Carter called the legislation an assault on working class Medicaid recipients…
“CARTER: Your program is aimed at the poor.
BACALA: It is aimed at keeping people from stealing resources from the poor Representative Carter, because that is what is happening when people making 100,000 dollars receive benefits. “
Bacala says a recent audit discovered 1,672 people were enrolled in the program making six figures.
Carter accused Bacala of subjecting poor people to the kind of scrutiny he and other Republicans refuse to put on businesses.
“CARTER: It is mean spirited towards poor people of this state that we should be united to help lift out of poverty, not extra regulatory oversight.
BACALA: The only reason you would not want the Legislative Auditor to look at this is because you are afraid of what you are going to find.”
Other opponents of the legislation argue the proposal would result in the expulsion of tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients from the program who make just above the 16,764-dollar yearly limit.
The argument veered into national efforts by Democrats to secure the President’s tax returns…
“CARTER: The President has refused to release his taxes, do you agree that those records should be private like any other citizen?
BACALA: Representative Carter I’m not going to be baited into that kind of garbage, I will not answer that question.”
The bill heads to the Senate, where similar efforts have historically been defeated.
