To the Editor:
I’ve been reading a lot lately about Vermont bill H. 721 to expand Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid to include people who have a higher income than the current threshold is a laudable aim, but the bill, as originally written, leaves many people out. Anybody who’s over 65 or disabled doesn’t get anything out of Medicaid Expansion as the bill was written. We’re left out because we’re the most expensive population in terms of healthcare.
When H.721 got to the committee, the only part of the bill that survived was the section that raised the cap for Medicare Savings Programs. They decided to launch a study instead of implementing the bill as originally planned. It’s interesting that they’ve decided that they should begin by studying the effects of expanding Medicaid. Why wasn’t there a study before 30,000 Vermonters were kicked off Medicaid to see what the results of that would be?
What do we want? What do we deserve in terms of healthcare? My opinion is that what we need is Universal Healthcare everywhere. In Vermont, we already have Act 48, but it was unfunded. Get in touch with us at info@workerscenter.org to tell your story, whether it’s about losing Medicaid or having health insurance premiums and/or deductibles raised to the point where you can’t afford healthcare. Our stories are important for helping powerholders to understand the impact of making bad choices about healthcare.
Grace Beninson
Guilford, March 8