Chase letter: Health plan
The stopgap measure Gov. Butch Otter and some Republican legislators are endorsing to provide some minimal medical insurance coverage to 78,000 of our fellow Idahoans is a shameful political ploy. It is the equivalent of putting a pinkie Band-Aid on a severed leg to stop the bleeding.
Otter’s own commissioned work study group on expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act showed that it would bring millions of dollars into the state — the return of federal tax dollars we have already paid to the government — create thousand of new jobs, mostly in the health care industry, which tends to pay fairly well, save million of our local taxes dollars that are spent for health care through the county indigent funds, and of course, improve the health of 78,000 fellow citizens.
Otter and Republican state legislators: Please quit playing political games with the lives and health of 78,000 of our fellow citizens, friends, families and co-workers. Shame on you all.
Dallas Chase, Boise
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Chase letter: Health plan."