‘Death panels’ in Alaska

To the editor:

Gov. Sean Parnell is my death panel. Sure as shootin’. When he single-handedly turned down the Medicaid Expansion component of the Affordable Care Act last year, he threw thousands of working Alaskans, including myself, into the “gap” of no health coverage. The great majority of us are small-business owners who can show widely fluctuating profits and losses from year to year, but who still pay our bills and our taxes, and contribute immeasurably to our communities.

In a recent apology piece, Mrs. Parnell wrote that her husband never makes his decisions based on politics. This could not be further from the truth. Even the state’s Chamber of Commerce urged the Governor to expand Medicaid as it was in Alaska’s best economic interest, but his political and career ambitions trumped all.

When I asked Gov. Parnell why he made this decision, one of his staff called to explain that he would only be affecting 10,000 “able-bodied” Alaskans (his number is way off), and didn’t want me to get used to having affordable health care only to have it possibly taken away. How insulting. It was better for me that I never know that kind of security, I guess. And this from someone who has the best coverage in the country...at my expense.

I have taken great responsibility for my own health since I was young, but I am an older Alaskan now, and I worry. I will be voting for Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott Nov. 4, who have assured me that they will expand health coverage to all Alaskans.

Robin Dale Ford

Fairbanks