Letters on Medicaid expansion, health care vote, Andover bond, zoo

Research supports expanded Medicaid

Jeff Glendening of Americans for Prosperity pulled out the standard list of discredited talking points to urge legislators to reject Medicaid expansion (May 3 Letters to the Editor).

Glendening claimed that Medicaid patients lack access to care. Yet research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and other prestigious journals shows that low-income adults have far better access in states that have expanded Medicaid than in states, like Kansas, that have not.

Glendening claimed that enrollment exceeded expectations in every expansion state. Yet an analysis published last month in Health Affairs concludes that aggregate budget projections were accurate, with no significant differences between the projected and actual spending.

Glendening claimed that the New England Journal of Medicine reported that Medicaid expansion does not improve health status. He doesn’t mention that this study followed patients for only two years, when the accepted standard for measuring the impact of clinical interventions on health status requires at least five years of follow-up. He also failed to note that this same study found significant improvements in mental health, access to care and financial status.

In short, Glendening cherry-picked information and refused to consider the overwhelming evidence in support of Medicaid expansion.

Kansas lawmakers should respond to the best opportunity they are ever likely to have to enhance health coverage, support hospitals and other health care providers, and make Kansas a healthier place to live and work. They should expand KanCare.

Bodies piled high

If I am dying because I can’t afford adequate and affordable insurance coverage with a pre-existing condition, I want my sick bed set up in front of the U.S. Capitol doors where every legislator who voted to eliminate Obamacare has to pass by my rotting, stinking carcass.

I would welcome anyone else under similar circumstances to join me.

The bodies will be piled so high they won’t be able to enter. This would also be a solution to the problem.

Thanks a lot

A quick thank you to The Eagle editorial board for its endorsement of Rep. Ron Estes, R-Wichita, in the special election. Estes and his colleagues – Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka; Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend; and Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park – recently voted to kill more poor people while giving $600 billion in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Your check is in the mail.

‘Yes’ on bond

Investing in education empowers students now and well into the future. I am very encouraged to see citizens in Goodard and Clearwater vote “yes” on the school bond issue recently to make improvements to their schools and community.

On May 9, Andover USD 385 is asking voters to approve a bond issue that will ensure student success, improve safety and continue to build upon the foundation that we have come to expect in Andover.

As a parent of two children in the Andover district, the safety and well-being of my students is my top concern. A close second concern is that the schools my children attend are equipped to handle the ever-changing learning environment to enable all children to be successful in life.

This bond issue, both questions one and two, will empower students and create opportunities for their future. Now is the time to vote “yes” for kids to ensure their success and the success of generations to come.

Proud of zoo

Congratulations to Jeff Ettling on becoming the new director of the Sedgwick County Zoo (May 4 Eagle). It was my honor to serve the zoo as its first research curator. The zoo is definitely something of which Wichita can be proud.

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 5:02 AM with the headline "Letters on Medicaid expansion, health care vote, Andover bond, zoo."