This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Rather than getting a "warm fuzzy," a chill went down my spine as I read Sen. Allen Christensen's opinion article regarding the proposed expansion of Medicaid in Utah ("Medicaid expansion is just forced charity," Tribune, Dec. 21).
I am always dubious when people who are not wanting for any of life's necessities (presumably Sen. Christensen is well taken care of by the state's public employee health care system) pontificate about what is best for those who are suffering from a lack of things such as food, shelter or health care.
Christensen's answer to those less fortunate, whom he seems to hold in disdain, is for them to wait around with their hands out until people like him want to feel righteous.
Access to health care is a human right. We need to expand Medicaid because it is the right thing to do, not because we want to feel good about ourselves. Random acts of kindness and the "warm fuzzies" that come with them are not the answer for those who can't afford health care.
Chad Rhinehart
Salt Lake City