McCrory has changed

Gov. Pat McCrory’s imprudent decision to stop expansion of Medicaid will cause needless suffering for our state’s poorest citizens and end up costing everyone else who pays for healthcare and healthcare insurance even more than today’s excessive costs. It should be obvious to the governor that closing the door to affordable healthcare through federally funded Medicaid will merely expand the use of hospital emergency rooms as primary care for the poor. These unfunded costs get spread around to everyone in the form of ever higher hospital and insurance bills.

It is ironic that the governor who campaigned on a platform of more jobs for North Carolina wants to turn down federal funding that would create new jobs, boost the state’s economy and cost the state’s taxpayers next to nothing. When Gov. McCrory was mayor of Charlotte, he had a reputation as a practical politician who got things done. With this decision to turn down billions of dollars of federal funds for Medicaid expansion, Gov. McCrory is showing us that he is more focused on pacifying right wing ideologues than on improving the health and economic well being of the citizens of this state.

Howard Partner

Durham