Governor Eric Holcomb’s “Gateway to Work” program puts thousands of Hoosiers at risk of losing their health insurance. People are fighting back, through lawsuits and demonstrations. I applaud their efforts, because I believe health care is a human right. We should not accept a single person going without the services and medicine they need.
Sure, that right isn’t in the Constitution. Neither were many of our rights, until people stood up and fought for them. Now is our chance. We must demand access to health care for every American.
I recognize Medicaid is a large part of our state budget. But I want our leaders to take that up with the private insurers who profit by our system, not the ordinary people who are crushed by it.
I recognize the value in providing incentives, in supporting people who are looking for jobs. But to threaten taking away coverage isn’t incentive. It’s coercion.
I recognize the governor and state lawmakers aren’t solely to blame for the system. But I expect them to agitate for reform within their parties, to risk running afoul of business interests. Ordinary people don’t have think tanks, public relations teams, or layers of public-private bureaucracy to shield them from accountability.
What ordinary people do have, come election time, are alternatives.
Gage Bentley
Crawfordsville
