Medicaid cuts will hurt the poor and the economy

To the editor:

The message to four members of the Medicaid Reform Commission attending the Oct. 11 hearing in Kennett was loud and clear. Health care providers and individuals who have lost health insurance due to Medicaid cuts sharply warned that those cuts will bring immense human suffering. In 20 Southeast Missouri counties which have a high concentration of poverty, the Department of Social Services estimates that 15,984 individuals will be affected. Working parents with very low incomes, the elderly and those with disabilities will lose their only access to health care coverage.

Medicaid cuts will have a negative impact on the economy as well. The health care industry contributes significantly to the local and state economies. When funding to health care providers is decreased, jobs will be lost along with dollars that fuel the economy.

People without health insurance still get sick. Those with chronic conditions need ongoing treatment. They will likely be sicker before they seek treatment, and many of the uninsured will end up in emergency rooms and hospitals. The costs of care will escalate, and eventually higher costs are passed on to all of us.

Missourians want the best for our state. We can't accept what appear to be easy solutions that cost us more in the long run. We have cut the health insurance of more than 100,000 Missourians without thinking about the consequences for those individuals, for our communities or for the state. We can, and must, do better.

RUTH R. EHRESMAN, Health Policy Specialist, Missouri Budget Project,

St. Louis, Mo.