Veterans deserving of Medicaid expansion

Letter to the Editor,

Support veterans by supporting Medicaid expansion.

Thousands of Montana’s veterans could receive quality healthcare by expanding Medicaid. Our veterans return home from service with limited healthcare resources. They have physical and mental-health needs that demand attention, and we need to do more to provide them with the care they deserve. 

As a veteran, I understand the sacrifice and commitment that the brave men and women of the U.S. military have made. They deserve to have access to quality and affordable health care. 

In Montana, approximately 9,000 veterans are uninsured. VA healthcare is a great service and helps about 5,000 veterans access health care, but it does not meet the needs of all veterans. 

The distance between VA outpatient clinics and Fort Harrison Medical Center makes it difficult for veterans to access routine care. 

Medicaid expansion would provide veterans with affordable healthcare in their communities.

We can no longer ignore or dismiss the healthcare needs of veterans. Medicaid expansion will provide veterans with the healthcare they deserve in the communities they helped to protect.

— Jim Higgins

Libby