The graph above comes from a Brookings Institue paper on healthcare spending and one of the paper’s authors, Harvard economist Amitabh Chandra, notes that it might suggest that “fiscal conservatives should be very careful before trashing Medicaid.” Expect no such care this morning at the Capitol, where the Joint Public Health committee will take up the report from Gary Alexander, the conservative ideologue hired by the state at the behest of Rep. Bruce Westerman to examine the state’s welfare programs (the state paid Alexander $220,000).

Alexander’s report is a right-wing wish list of service-slashing likely to fire up Tea Party legislators. Various agency heads will be on hand to absorb some abuse. I’ll be there and will file a report later this morning. My fearless prediction is that there will be some grandstanding. 

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