This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some people still don't get it. If you live in a red state, and your governor has rejected the Affordable Care Act, you will not be able to get the same assistance as people living in states that have accepted the ACA.
Utah's refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act hurts the most vulnerable among us — the working poor. Folks excluded are stranded without insurance, stuck between people with slightly higher incomes who qualify for federal subsidies on the new healthcare exchanges, and those who are poor enough to already qualify for Medicaid in its current form.
People shopping for insurance on the health exchanges are already discovering this bitter twist. "How can somebody in poverty not be eligible for subsidies?" This is a benefit offered to Americans on the federal dime.
Utahns, if you are impoverished, uninsured and ineligible for help, you can blame the Republicans running the state for stealing your health insurance coverage.
If you don't vote, it might behoove you to get off your butt and get informed this time. If you tend to vote for every name with an (R) behind it, stop voting against your own self-interest.
Sherrie Goff
Pocatello, Idaho