Slashing Medicaid: Your Loss Our Gain
September 7th, 2025 Barry Posted in Health care | No Comments »
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels, each featuring the same two characters: A representative of the Republican party, a middle-aged man wearing a jacket and tie, and a diabetic with spiky red hair. I’ll call them “Tie” and “Spike.”
PANEL 1
We’re in a grassy area, with trees and a fence in the background. Tie is speaking to Spike sternly, and Spike replies anxiously.
TIE: You know how much insulin costs? Throwing freeloaders like you off Medicaid will save tons of money!
SPIKE: But if I can’t afford insulin, I’ll wind up in the E.R., which costs a lot more!
PANEL 2
As they continue talking, they are now in the E.R..
SPIKE: Since I won’t be able to pay, the costs will be passed onto hospitals, other patients, and state governments.
PANEL 3
Spike is now in a hospice bed, wearing a patient’s gown. Tie is by Spike’s bedside, still speaking sternly.
SPIKE: And the sicker I get, the less I can work and contribute to the economy, right?
TIE: Maybe that’s all true.
PANEL 4
We’re back in the grassy area. Tie is grinning hugely and skipping. Spike has been replaced by a gravestone marked “R.I.P.”.
TIE: But have you considered how huge my tax cuts will be?
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is moribund cartoonists’ jargon for little extras in the artwork.
PANEL 1 – A tree has a sign saying “Do not climb – tree is only a drawing.” Below the sign is an evil bunny smoking a cigarette.
PANEL 2 – There are framed portraits of Dr. Hibbert from The Simpsons and Dr. Benson Honeydew from the Muppets. A spy with a walkie-talkie is peering out from a hole in the floor.
PANEL 3 – Outside the window, we can see the Grim Reaper approaching. Woodstock from Peanuts sits on the window frame. A hand holding a lit cigarette is sticking out of a drawer. One of the flowers has a smiling face. A sign on the wall says “Sign all forms before dying.”
PANEL 4 – The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland is perched in the tree. A sign on the tree says “FOR SALE: “For sale” sign. Barely used on smoke-free tree. Will trade for weed.” The small print on Spike’s gravestone says “suffered a politically illustrative demise.”
