Healthcare

Matt Bevin is Counter-Suing Medicaid Recipients for Suing the Federal Government

Written by SK Ashby

No, that doesn't make any sense at all.

A lawsuit challenging Governor Matt Bevin's new requirements for Medicaid enrollment was filed against the Trump regime -- more specifically the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) -- on behalf of Medicaid recipients in Kentucky. Rather than challenge Bevin's decision directly, the lawsuit challenges the Trump regime's decision to allow the new requirements because states cannot impose new requirements without approval from the federal government.

That all checks out, but Matt Bevin is now suing the Medicaid recipients who are challenging the new requirements because he feels left out.

Bevin's lawsuit, filed by his general counsel, M. Stephen Pitt, is a counter-suit against the 16 people named as plaintiffs. It argues that the state should be involved in litigation over Medicaid changes that will affect thousands of Kentuckians and wants the case heard in Frankfort.

"We cannot sit idly by while the Commonwealth's plan is debated in an out-of-state courtroom," Pitt said in a statement released by the Bevin administration.

We discuss lawsuits and legal claims of varying degrees of legitimacy here, but this may be the most absurd yet.

Reports on Bevin's lawsuit against his own constituents are light on detail and it's not clear exactly what he expects a court to do. Does he expect the local federal court to say residents of Kentucky cannot participate in a federal lawsuit filed on their behalf in Washington against the federal government, or what? Does Bevin believe residents of Kentucky are not entitled to their constitutional rights?

The lawsuit challenging the new requirements was filed in Washington D.C. because that's where the Department of Health and Human Services is and the case will have implications that reach far beyond the state of Kentucky.

It's only Tuesday but this is the dumbest shit I've seen so far this week.