More on Medicaid expansion
To the editor:
In response to the recent letter to the editor by Alice Bolstridge: First of all, in article 1 section 8 it also says “provide for the common defense and general welfare.”
It is unfair that you misrepresent the Constitution of the United States and mislead your readers with the use of “…” to skip over to something (defense) to make headlines. It would seem that it is OK to make cuts to our defense and veterans’ benefits, yet you write an article to support expansion of welfare.
Second, I think it is easy to say Medicaid expansion will bring in $348 million more in payments to hospitals over the next decade and it will create 2,000 more jobs in the Maine health care system. It all sounds good, but let’s tell it like it is. That $348 million will mostly come from the taxpayers of Maine. That sounds expensive to me. Also, will those 2,000 additional jobs create $348 million in tax revenue for the state of Maine to cover the additional payments? We all know the answer to that.
It is irresponsible and if you put pencil to paper it will create more debt.
Here is a simple solution. Create more full-time jobs that offer medical benefits and higher tax revenue. If we want the government involved, job creation is what they should be working on.
Adam Simoes
Presque Isle
