Physical, fiscal health
I thought Michael Allen Gillespie’s Feb. 19 Point of View piece “Weigh the wins of more Medicaid” was spot on. Kudos to him for broadly laying out the evidence and to the N.C. Institute of Medicine for making findings available regarding how refusing to expand Medicaid will hurt North Carolina, beyond denying health care coverage to our residents who now qualify for it under the Affordable Care Act.
Having heard arguments for and against Medicaid expansion on the floor of the N.C. Senate and in an N.C. House Health and Human Services Committee meeting, I also concur that just as in most political debates, ideology often trumps the facts. But this issue is simply too critical to make decisions based on mistrust of the federal government or hostility toward Obamacare.
Having been a registered nurse for 40 years, I’ve seen the consequences of Americans falling through the cracks of our heath care system. I would ask the governor and the General Assembly that if Medicaid expansion doesn’t feel like the right thing to do for the health of our residents (as many North Carolinians believe), do it for our fiscal health. But, please, just do it!
Brenda Cleary, R.N., Ph.D., Cary
