General Discussion

It's wonderfully entertaining to watch Republicans screw each other over the budget bill. But I'd trade the entertainment for a good budget bill that preserves Medicaid. If Medicaid cuts are eventually successful, lots of places will lose their local hospital, my county included. We have a small town hospital that has been acquired by a regional network, leaving us with a lab, imaging, physical therapy, emergency room, and doctors' offices -- all of which will likely vanish if Medicaid is substantially cut. Our local nursing facility is likely to go away too. Painful to contemplate. It's maddening to be at the mercy of people who view government services as inherently evil, even when they do good.