Dear Editor:
I respectfully submit an opinion with disappointment in what seems to be an unbalanced presentation of the changes to the Medicaid system on the front page of the Aug. 14 edition.
Obviously there are many who will likely lose Medicaid services, but it’s also true that there are many who are receiving services that should not be. I’m all for having a safety net for those who despite their best efforts need assistance in day-to-day living cost and healthcare (I am a healthcare provider myself.) But to make the headlines convey a message of governmental indifference to those in need without more emphasis on the necessity of having a solvent and justified system with reasonable required qualifications to be in the program comes across as biased and irresponsible reporting. To assume the worst that hospitals are likely to close, etc., accentuates that message.
To be fair, the last number of paragraphs in the article did include the federal initiative to help states where states have the most need and providing necessary care. That’s a significant important part of the equation. I simply suggest that should’ve gotten equal coverage on the front page as the challenging and painful adjustments that will need to be made. Changes that I believe have to be made to to keep the program sustainable when it is fraught with fraud and waste.
This program and the people that depend on it needs a fair and sustainable program that’s predictable and reliable. People that are able to work, but choose not to should not be taking funds from those who cannot.
Thank you for the work that you do.
Bob Miller
Louisville, Ohio
