Today, I had a letter published in the Longview News-Journal in support of the Medicaid Expansion in Texas as part of the Affordable Care Act.
http://www.news-journal.com/...
Organizing for Action in East Texas, which I am proud to be part of, will be working on this issue, as well as the many other issues that President Obama is working on in his 2nd term.
A lot of Texans support the Medicaid expansion, and we need to coax our legislature and Governor Perry to support the expansion. It will save lives and reduce uncompensated care.
Here is the letter:
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Right for Texas
As implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues, an important element is an expansion of Medicaid. Many states are accepting the expansion. Texas has declined to participate.
The benefits our state would experience by accepting the Medicaid expansion are enormous. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country. About 6 million Texans are uninsured. By accepting the Medicaid expansion, at least 1.5 million Texans will obtain health care coverage.
The fiscal benefits are extensive. Cities and counties will see reductions in indigent care costs. Hospitals will see their uncompensated care costs reduced. And those already insured with private coverage will not see increases in their premiums that occur due to uncompensated care.
In budgetary terms, the Medicaid expansion is a great benefit. In fact, per the Perryman Group, every $1 that Texas spends on the Medicaid expansion will yield $1.29 in state government revenue during the first 10 years of the expansion. It is a net budgetary positive for Texas.
This just makes sense. Both the Texas Hospital Association and Texas Medical Association support the expansion. With this in mind, I urge Gov. Perry and the Legislature to accept the Medicaid expansion. It is right for Texas.
- Vikas Kumar Verma, Kilgore