Letter to the Editor

Supports LB 577

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Dear Editor,

State lawmakers are facing a momentous decision this session. They must decide whether Nebraska will accept federal dollars to broaden Medicaid to cover at least 54,000 adults who are struggling to make ends meet on their low incomes.

Nebraskans with earnings below 138 percent of poverty -- which amounts to about $15,000 a year for a single person or $21,000 for a couple -- would be eligible.

This group of hard-working Nebraskans is largely uninsured or underinsured, lacking affordable access to basic preventive health care services. Expanding Medicaid means they'd be able to get the care they need to stay healthy and avoid the emergency room.

The federal government will foot 100 percent of the bill for the first three years, and then 90 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion starting in 2020. If Nebraska refuses the federal dollars, we'll only be hurting ourselves. We're all paying for Medicaid expansion in other states with our federal taxes; Nebraskans should receive the benefits as well.

LB 577, Nebraska's Medicaid expansion bill, is a practical, common-sense measure that will help tens of thousands of Nebraska families. I urge Sen. Christensen to support LB 577.

Russ Wood

Cambridge, Nebraska

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