Bill failure leaves many in a downward spiral

Letter to the Editor,

I am totally stunned that our Big Sky state refused to provide basic healthcare, for all. It feels mean-spirited and uncivilized (Senate Bill 395 went down 51 to 49, against expanded Medicaid).

The result keeps low-income folks, anyone making less than $11,490 per year, caught in a downward spiral of poverty. We can’t work because we can’t get treatment. Then, the ensuing struggles to get help from a broken system only foster hopelessness, depression and non-productivity, even bring on needless death. Moreover, the people who manage to get coverage could, at any moment, due to unforeseen circumstances, suddenly be off on their own. This kind of widespread desperation leads us nowhere good.

As Montanans, we all need to come together, talk across party lines and discover the paths that leave no one behind.

— Alex Brown

Stevensville