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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018 Opinion 5 A (from 4A) Be informed when placing your vote on Measure 101 (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on current issues effecting the Siuslaw region are always wel- come as part of our goal to encour- age community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) M easure 101 is a com- plicated issue. Rand Dawson’s and Dr. John Egar’s guest viewpoint (“No On Measure 101 Will Raise Healthcare Costs,” Dec. 30) noted many statistics supporting a yes vote, and why people who already have health insurance should support an additional 1.5 percent tax on insurance premi- ums to help pay for medicaid services in Oregon. At a time when many pay for health insurance on their own, with large monthly premiums, deductibles, co-pays and out- of- pocket expenses in the thousands of dollars, why are we not requiring Medicaid patients to help pay some of their health insurance costs too? This should be a considered source of funding before requir- ing taxes on health insurance premiums. After all, monthly premiums are paid to provide for a family’s health care, many of whom may not be living much above the poverty level. I would point out that if you pay for your own health insur- ance, yearly deductibles reset annually so you get to pay it all over again each year. But with Medicaid, there are no deductibles that reset every year, no out of pocket expenses, co- pays or even a premium. That is deluxe medical cover- age by any measure. I realize people who qualify GUEST VIEWPOINT B Y D AVE P ECK F LORENCE for Medicaid have limited resources, though I personally know of cases where people on Medicaid could easily pay some- thing to help defray costs. At least a small premium or co-pay. Even just $10 a month should be considered before the state starts requiring people who pay for their own coverage to pay a tax when purchasing health insur- ance. And though it’s called an “assessment” to be paid by the insurance company, you can be sure it will be passed on to the consumer or whoever pays the premium. In my opinion there is some- thing inherently wrong with that. While collecting signatures to get Measure 101 on the ballot, I had a person (who is enrolled in Medicaid) ask why Medicaid recipiants are not required to help pay for their coverage (at least minimally through a monthly fee) before taxing others to finance the program. If most Medicaid clients (there are some with no means to pay whatsoever) had to help support the system, even partially, it might increase funds for the pro- gram or funds for other services such as long-term care. Many nursing homes will not accept Medicaid now due to low reimbursement rates. Another benefit would be the “buy-in” or sense they are paying their fair share, which is impor- tant for participants and taxpay- ers alike. Some like to say health- care is a right, and therefore should be free. It is not free. And if our goal is to cover everyone, everyone will have to pay, rich and poor alike. I believe supporters of “No on 101” think options may exist (not necessarily my ideas) to finance Medicaid in Oregon without tax- ing health insurance premiums. They would like to continue the discussion in the legislature. They do not oppose healthcare for children, poor people or sen- iors, as is often portrayed in mail- ers, advertisements and televi- sion spots. In fact. you’ll note publicity in favor of Measure 101 has very little detail at all. It’s true that the law addressed by Measure 101 did pass the leg- islature, but that doesn’t mean its a wise use of taxpayer money. Over the years, Oregon PERS laws were passed by the legisla- ture and today we see the pro- gram’s extremely generous bene- fits have surpassed the taxpayers’ ability to fund them. This presents huge problems funding other important state programs (like Medicaid), so it’s important to be careful. And just to remind everyone, we had the Cover Oregon deba- cle involving the loss of millions of dollars of Oregon taxpayer funds. There have also been rev- elations indicating Oregon has spent about $1.8 million of feder- al Medicaid funds on abortions through the Oregon Health Plan. This would be an illegal use of federal funds. And on average, for the last 14 years, Oregon state taxpayers have paid $1.7 million annually to legally fund abor- tions through the Oregon Health Plan. Oregon now has a law that authorizes state taxpayer money to fund abortions for residents of Oregon in the country illegally. Might some of these costly pro- grams be curtailed while at the same time providing more accountability to improve med- ical services available in the Oregon Health Plan? This might reduce the amount of taxpayer funds needed to sup- port The Oregon Health Plan as well as Medicaid. Further conversation, debate and consideration of options dur- ing the legislative session is all that’s being asked. So, if you’re unsure about Measure 101, how your insur- ance premiums may be taxed or how your tax money is being spent on healthcare in Oregon, you have a unique opportunity to make your voice heard simply by voting “No” on Measure 101. LETTERS ( from 4A ) G OVERNMENT IS POOR See Jim for your auto sales needs! 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 AT PICKING WINNERS Of late, there have been letters decrying the Tax Plan, income and wealth. Here’s a short list of American companies that employ millions, all started by people willing to risk it all: Amazon, Apple, Bell Labs, Compaq, Dell, Exxon, Federal Express, Google... These companies have enriched the lives of billions worldwide. By comparison, here’s a simi- lar list from government con- trolled Worker’s Paradises: USSR, Cuba, China, North Korea and Venezuela. Each of the following green energy com- panies backed by the federal government since 2008 had failed outright by the end of 2012: Evergreen Solar ($25 million), SpectraWatt ($500,000), Solyndra ($535 million), Beacon Power ($43 million), EnerDel’s subsidiary Ener1 ($118.5 mil- lion), Abound Solar ($400 mil- lion), A123 Systems ($279 mil- lion), Willard and Kelsey Solar Group ($700,981), Raser Technologies ($33 million), Energy Conversion Devices ($13.3 million), Mountain Plaza, Inc. ($2 million), Olsen’s Crop Service and Olsen’s Mills Acquisition Company ($10 mil- lion), Range Fuels ($80 million), Thompson River Power ($6.5 million), Stirling Energy Systems ($7 million), Azure Dynamics ($5.4 million), Nordic Windpower ($16 million), Satcon ($3 million), Konarka Technologies Inc. ($20 million) Governments have a very poor record of picking winners. 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