Utah State Representative
Michael S. Kennedy (R)
As Republican governors realize that the ACA is not going to go away, more and more red states have been abandoning their opposition to Medicaid expansion. Pennsylvania recently got approval from Washington to use federal Medicaid expansion funds to purchase private health insurance for their poor using the federal ACA market exchange. Tennessee is expected to win similar approval soon. Even deepest red Wyoming is beginning to talk about changing their anti-Medicaid expansion attitude.
The debate was front and center at a recent Utah Health Reform Task Force meeting where Representative Kennedy, who along with being a Utah legislator is also a licensed family physician, had this to say to explain why he still opposes Medicaid expansion in his state:
"Sometimes access actually can mean harm. Sometimes access to health care can be damaging and dangerous. And it's a perspective for the (Legislative) body to consider is that, I've heard from National Institutes of Health and otherwise that we're killing up to a million, a million and a half people every year in our hospitals. And it's access to hospitals that's killing those people."
Yep, since our hospitals are only going to kill 'em anyway, better to save the money and the hassle and just let 'em die by the side of the road.
Sick people in Utah should be thankful he chose a career in politics over medicine. I know if I ever find myself in Utah and in need of medical attention, I will feel better knowing Michael Kennedy M.D. won't be standing next to my bed wearing a stethoscope.
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