The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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November 21, 2009

Your View: GAMC cuts boneheaded

By Todd Redmann, Le Sueur

This week, the fallout begins as Gov. Tm Pawlenty’s cuts to General Assistance Medical Care will leave 30,000 of the poorest Minnesotans with no medical coverage.

Balancing the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable, in addition to being immoral, also points out the huge flaw in the governor’s whole approach. While all cuts may look like a savings on paper, many actually cost us a great deal more than they save. Simply cutting the medical coverage of the poor won’t prevent them from getting sick — much the opposite.

They will get sicker, requiring even more expensive care in a delivery system (hospital emergency rooms), that will likely increase costs ten-fold.

So, beyond the immorality of cutting service to those most in need, Pawlenty’s actions — to use his own words — are “boneheaded.”



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