I try to write about healthcare policy in Idaho, but it seems it’s just déjà vu all over again.
It seems Idaho legislators can’t get enough of the boogeyman Medicaid Expansion. Why do we elect these clowns?
We voters studied the complex numbers. We thought it was about giving people a fair shake. We voted to expand Medicaid coverage to the people in the gap. About 100,000 Idahoans could not qualify for Medicaid and could not go to the exchange to purchase health insurance with Federal income tax credits. These folks were in the gap. We saw this as unfair. So we fixed the problem. What are you crazy legislators now thinking? They talk about dropping this coverage.
We could go through all the numbers again.
But numbers don’t persuade some political consultant once told me. Maybe it’s the image.
Conservatives see loser people out there taking their hard-earned money.
Liberals think everybody needs a hand.
Conservatives think the hand up promotes dependence.
Liberals can’t let go of their empathy.
Both you guys are right.
But we need to build a system. And we’re stuck with the laws we have. Nobody seems to want to talk about the messed-up healthcare system we currently have. Or how to make it better.
I do.
The Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare for you Republicans) tried to use the current (massive) health insurance industry as a tool to get more people insured. Obama mistakenly thought working with the health insurance industry would buy Republican votes. He ran into the “Party of NO”.
The ACA used state-based health insurance exchanges to give folks access to affordable plans. The marketplace was where you were supposed to go to be able to shop for the plan you wanted and could afford.
Let me tell you how brave our former Governor, Butch Otter was to champion this in a Tea Party leaning legislature. But he did it. So Idaho now has Your Health Idaho.
But the first plan had flaws. Folks above 300% of the Federal Poverty level on the exchange got bit in the butt. The subsidy tapered too fast.
And when the subsidy cliff became evident, our current Governor spoke up. I wrote about this a long time ago.
Then old man Biden got elected and congress “fixed” the cliff.
This is what the current government shut down is all about. Should we keep health insurance affordable for all?
Let me simplify the question.
Do you think American citizens should have affordable health care insurance coverage?
I can tell how our Idaho legislators would answer that question.
Please remember, all of you Idaho voters who elect these clowns, you are paying for their gold-plated health insurance on your dime when they are working a ¼ time job. The health insurance benefit our legislators receive is probably worth more than the salary we pay them. But they grouse about extending health insurance to Idaho’s working poor, most of them doing two or three ¼ time jobs. No (current) legislator has opted out of these high dollar benefits we pay for. But they claim the Idaho taxpayer can’t afford to support Medicaid Expansion benefits.
Do you have any sense of fairness? I hope you do. I know they don’t. But you vote for them.
Let’s not skip over the fundamental question.
Should people have basic health insurance?
Idaho just kicked another 12,000 kids off health insurance.
I’m not talking about getting everything you want. I’m talking about a fall off the roof not costing you your home.
Believe me, it would.
It shouldn’t.
We should all have basic health care coverage.
I can’t believe these clowns we elect and pay for their fancy health insurance don’t share this value. Again. It’s here again.
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