William Murphy has announced that the House will not block Don Carcieri's Medicaid plan.  As a result, it will take effect on Monday, January 19th.  If you're surprised that members of the House were able to come to agreement so quickly, don't be.  According to the Providence Journal, it appears that many of our representatives don't understand the Global Medicaid Waiver.

Also on the Medicaid front, House and Senate leaders have scheduled briefings tomorrow for rank-and-file lawmakers who want to learn more about the administration's proposal.

House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, who will run the chamber's session along with Constantino, said the briefing will offer a good overview of the plan for members who have questions or want more information.

Both the House and Senate Finance Committees have spent more a dozen hours in recent days combing through the proposal, but other legislators have professed knowing little about the plan that's captured headlines and dominated Smith Hill discourse.


     Think about that excerpt for a minute.  The waiver has been in the news for quite some time, it has been controversial, and it affects a large percentage of Rhodie Island's population.  Despite that, it appears many legislators have done little or nothing to educate themselves about the proposal.  If they are too lazy to research important issues, just imagine how they treat less important legislation.

http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/01/murphy-lawmaker.html#441297