Not much is going to be said about the much heralded closed door meeting this past week with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvian Burwell.
And even less is going to be said by Governor Asa Hutchinson until the "green light" comes from Washington D.C.
Hutchinson along with state Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, Arkansas House of Representatives Speaker Jeremy Giliam, Arkansas Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe, state Medicaid Director Dawn Stehle and a health care policy advisor on the governor's staff, John Martin, all attended the closed door meeting.
The only ones back home in Arkansas and talking about that meeting are Dismang and Gilliam.
Both did so in a very controlled, positive spin of the meeting favoring the governor having stated the case for the conservative people of Arkansas.
Those customary quotes come from two guys who want to deliver the super majority of both of their respective colleagues to pass whatever package the Governor proposes on "Arkansas Works."
Remember Gentle Voters: If "Arkansas Works," should fail, proposed highway work will never be done.
And so will little else.
If the failure of "Arkansas Works," or a version of that plan -- approved by the feds -- comes true, then it will crash the budget of the Hutchinson administration.
Rejecting the "Arkansas Works," by the legislature would result in an economic and financial calamity for the state budget -- no matter how many times Hutchinson's administration tries to wring additional monies from already strapped state agencies.
Recounting an old phrase on the federal government and funds from Washington D.C. given to the states uttered by former Arkansas Republican Governor and twice failed Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee: "Uncle Sugar giveth and Uncle Sugar can sure taketh away."
Maybe that's what we are all waiting on; Uncle Sugar's giving the Hutchinson administration a portion of what he asketh for?
The federal government, which does oversee the health care rules, regulations and most important of all -- the purse from which the strings are attached for continued funding for the state, is calling the shots.
It is not the Hutchinson administration in control.
Governor Hutchinson made no bones about what he was going to ask for before the meeting.
He and apparently a very integral portion of the Arkansas legislators in both the state House and state Senate, want there to be some type of work requirement and possibly job training attendance requirement for people who are on the federal/state Obamacare, Arkansas Private Option or the soon to be unveiled Arkansas Works plan crafted by the Hutchinson administration.
Now not to give the governor and his staff too much credit, some of the Arkansas Works framework comes from legislators who have never yet voted for any type of health care reform. Their input on this issue comes as complaints from their own political ideology, not from some substance of the federal program and its parameters to try to meet the nation's health care needs for the poor, unemployed or underemployed people who do not have access to health care coverage through an employee-employer based health plan.
But does Hutchinson have the votes to pass the "Arkansas Works" proposal?
He will have to wait until Washington D.C. sends him the approval of these requested changes before even trying to round up the votes.
We do know that the Private Option is a different plan than the typical Medicaid program sent to other states by the federal government.
Arkansas lawmakers have had a bigger say in how, who and when the funds are used.
But will this new crop of lawmakers see the bigger picture of health care under whatever this "Arkansas Works," may ultimately become?
Maybe that's why Asa's being so closed mouth about it?
He's holding his breath for approval and then comes the biggest hurdle -- getting it approved.
Pitching ideas about tweaking the federal rules to fit the Arkansas legislative suggestions is easy.
Rounding up the votes; that's the hardest part of the entire plan.
MAYLON RICE, AN AWARD-WINNING COLUMNIST, HAS WRITTEN BOTH NEWS AND COLUMNS FOR SEVERAL NWA PUBLICATIONS AND HAS BEEN WRITING FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
Editorial on 02/10/2016