PROP 2: Time to do something

Open Letter to Sen. Mary Souza:

Dear Mary,

For six years your Legislature has had the luxury of denying the expansion of Medicaid to 60,000 Idahoans BY DOING NOTHING. You recognized the problem but were unwilling to do the right thing. Now you want us to praise you for introducing a bill that would automatically cancel the expansion of Medicaid if the federal government changes the funding formula. This would take away Medicaid for 60,000 Idahoans by the Legislature DOING NOTHING.

I hope you withdraw this legislation. If the feds change the funding ratio, you can always withdraw from Medicaid expansion at that time; however, that would require the Legislature to DO SOMETHING.

Please do not use legislative shenanigans to take away health care from 60,000 of our neighbors. If the time comes when you think the state cannot afford (fiscally or politically) the Medicaid Expansion, please have the integrity to repeal Medicaid Expansion with a straight-up vote to take away the health insurance of 60,000 people. Then you can ask the voters to sing your praises.

CHET GAEDE

Coeur d’Alene