Letters on Medicaid expansion, dress codes, sanctuary cities

State should reject Medicaid expansion

Lawmakers who care about improving health care for the least fortunate should reject Medicaid expansion.

Designed to provide insurance to the most vulnerable, Medicaid has a history of costing more but delivering less. The Manhattan Institute found Medicaid patients lack access to care and “have the worst health outcomes of any group in America … in some cases, worse than those with no insurance at all.”

Nonetheless, when Obamacare declared the federal government would cover Medicaid expansion costs, states took the bait.

Turns out “free money” is expensive. In every expansion state, enrollment far exceeded expectations. For example, Illinois’ estimated 2017-2020 state spending on Medicaid expansion went from $573 million to $2 billion.

And results are underwhelming. New England Journal of Medicine reports Medicaid “expansions were not associated with significant changes in … health status” and “challenges in access to care persist.”

Health coverage and access to care are not one in the same. Kansas Medicaid patients already experience delayed care because fewer doctors accept new Medicaid patients. Under Obamacare expansion, most new enrollees are able-bodied, working-age adults who crowd out the more vulnerable.

Rather than expand a failed program, lawmakers should make patient-centered reforms that increase access to health care, such as broadening scope-of-practice laws, eliminating regulations that discourage innovation, and reforming medical malpractice.

Lawmakers should drop Medicaid expansion once and for all.

Culture of life?

What’s happening in Topeka makes me want to holler.

Remember the noise Sarah Palin made about death panels? I thought the woman was nuts, but I was wrong. Gov. Sam Brownback and his lackeys are the real death panel.

Brownback is against abortion as part of his so-called “culture of life,” but it doesn’t trouble him to block Medicaid expansion and put guns in the hands of terrorists and nut cases. Once you are born, Brownback no longer seems to care. He proves this when he continues to block Medicaid expansion.

Brownback’s culture of life is a crock. He is led around by his nose by the Koch brothers, who also own enough Republican legislators to block Medicaid expansion. This is not democracy; it’s corporate fascism.

Kansas is a disgrace thanks to big money in politics. It is a big ugly wart on the tip of America’s nose.

Brownback’s culture of life is killing people who live under the best government money can buy.

Dress code sexist?

Kansas Revenue Secretary Sam Williams has decided on a dress code for his employees (April 29 Eagle). Most work places where employees meet the public have guidelines for appropriate apparel.

Has he ever visited with his employees about public appearance? Jumping to a ban sounds drastic, the sort of thing most employers never have to resort to.

His rules allude to skirts and cleavage. That seems to be aimed at women. Are there no men working in this department? Men can look offensive as well. I would not like to see their legs above the knee, either.

Or, if his rules apply only to women, is he somehow threatened by skin showing? Is this an indication that even the barefoot and pregnant need not apply?

Maybe this whole commotion is just simple sexism, covered over with his own brand of tats and piercings.

Outlaw judge

U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick in San Francisco has illegally blocked President Trump from withholding federal money from sanctuary cities. These cities are in open violation of U.S. law.

By blocking Trump’s order, Orrick has made himself a willing participant in the criminal activity of these sanctuary cities.

Orrick is an Obama appointee. The fact that “cherry picked” judges like Orrick can be used to disrupt the lawful exercise of executive power is an act of lawlessness that must not be tolerated.

Politicized judges like Orrick know that their decisions will be overturned by a higher court, which means he is willfully engaging in ideological obstructionism – not exactly ethical behavior for a jurist who is sworn to protect the Constitution.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters on Medicaid expansion, dress codes, sanctuary cities."