Letters to the Editor

Letter: Palin erred on 'death panels'

Sarah Palin's death panels do exist, but they were not caused by the Affordable Care Act. That act provides financial assistance on a sliding scale to Americans with incomes above a certain level. People below that level were to be provided health care by Medicaid. In many states that is working.

Palin claimed that the Affordable Care Act would create panels that would, in some situations, deny health care to certain people.

In some states, Republican governors and legislatures have refused to accept federal money to expand Medicaid. That expanded Medicaid would provide health care to people whose income is between the cutoff level of existing Medicaid and the income level that would allow them to get financial assistance to help them afford private health insurance.

Therefore, Republican governors and legislators are, according to Palin's description, denying health care to certain people. They are the death panels.

— Fred Nelius

Wasilla

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