Lawmakers cheating state's poor and sick

If you live in Idaho, you could get robbed. Republican in the Idaho Legislature are moving forward a bill that will nullify — or ignore — provisions in President Barack Obama’s health reform law. This nullification bill is unconstitutional, but that’s not slowing down state lawmakers who want to make sure than Idaho doesn’t have to comply with new requirements under Obamacare such as expanding Medicaid participation.

But the unintended consequence here is, that by ignoring the health reform law, Idaho may lose more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding from the federal government — forcing the state to drop the Medicaid program altogether. That would leave more than a quarter-million residents suddenly without health insurance coverage.

Yet another example of the radical agenda pushed by Republican state lawmakers around the country that are cheating the poor and the sick.

RICHARD ZURCHER

Dover