At this writing, the nation is rethinking the implications of President Donald Trump’s mega-bill, designed to gift the wealthy with a generous tax cut while leaving low-income citizens to bear the brunt of the bill’s cuts. The law includes $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid over a decade, threatening the survival of nearly 12 million Americans likely to lose their health care coverage. It will negatively impact the disabled, elderly, veterans, children who also will be losing some of their food support, persons with chronic health conditions, and low-income families without access to health care. In Ohio, about 3 million (26% of the state’s population) are now covered by Medicaid.
Improved health care has historically contributed to lower infant mortality, increased life expectancy and improved quality of life. In the 32-county region of Appalachian Ohio, Trump’s budget cuts will devastate rural hospitals and clinics, eroding a vital health care safety net to underserved communities already beset by poverty.
Expectations that this budget will serve the common good are an illusion; instead, it represents another “separate and unequal” betrayal of trust. Shorn of all moral conscience, its supporters, from the top down, deserve to be voter-mobilized out of public office.
B. Wittman,
Massillon
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.