Gov. Sandoval, Dean Heller deserve praise for opposing health-care bill

Bravo to Sen. Dean Heller and Gov. Brian Sandoval for coming out against the Republican health-care bill. I disagree with the Review-Journal editorial characterizing the bill as “decent” (as opposed to perfect or good). I say it’s indecent.

It sounds like your main objection to Medicaid is that it’s taxpayer funded. Just to remind readers, taxes in the Affordable Care Act come from incomes greater than $200,000 for an individual. Who does Medicaid protect? Children, the disabled, seniors, people in nursing homes, the mentally ill, veterans and, yes, some able-bodied adults. The working poor have long struggled to get insurance. What’s wrong with giving them a break? Don’t we already have enough inequity in our country?

You say states will still get ample money to care for the most vulnerable. The Senate bill cuts about 25 percent out of Medicaid and caps benefits, a more drastic version than the House bill. So some elderly and disabled probably won’t be able to stay in their homes. And most of the savings go to tax cuts for the wealthiest in the country and companies that can afford high-priced lobbyists. That’s why I call it a wealth-care bill.

We all benefit when the population is healthier, making it less likely for epidemics to spread. Why do you think the American Medical Association, hospitals, nurses, and the AARP all oppose the bill? Our property taxes rise when we need to prop up uncompensated hospitals. Premiums, including employer-based, can rise too.

Sen. Heller and Gov. Sandoval: Thanks for giving a fair chance to all Nevadans.