EDITORIAL: Beyond party lines, a commitment to keep Medicaid for the working poor
In their most recent debate the candidates said they will not roll back the "Obamacare" expansion of Medicaid.
The expansion was approved by executive order of Gov.
It was too good a deal for a poor state like
The facts on the ground were overridden by a passionate objection to then-President
The good news is that the two major Republican candidates for governor are now in agreement with Edwards. In a lightning round of yes-or-no questions, all agreed that they would not roll back the expansion, during a debate sponsored by
Both
Rispone is a businessman from
Still, we hope that Medicaid expansion, which provides an insurance card for people working but making far too little for meaningful private insurance, remains on the books for years to come.
The state's economic future rests on education reform, investment in colleges and universities and better infrastructure. All are vital, but the realities of life in low-wage households are also part of that larger picture. People in pain cannot stand all day at a counter or labor on a farm.
Those without a primary care doctor or access to a nurse practitioner don't get the treatment they need to avoid more costly diseases down the road. Then they clog emergency rooms, since that was their only financially realistic option under the heartless Jindal-era policy.
As Edwards has pointed out,
No large government program is perfect, but the case for Medicaid expansion is compelling.
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