Dear Gov. Snyder,
It’s no secret that I have been highly critical of you and your administration since you took office in 2010. However, I have lauded your decision to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and, because of it, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders now have health insurance that they wouldn’t have otherwise, most of whom will have it robbed from them if the current Republican plans to repeal the ACA are successful.
Thank you for that.
Back in March, you did the right thing by sending a strong message (along with actual data!) to our Michigan Congressional delegation letting them know just how big a blow repealing the ACA would be. That was precisely the right thing to do.
Thank you for that, as well.
But since then you’ve been quiet. At a time when you could have had the most impact, you have chosen to stay under the radar on an issue that will impact over 679,000 residents of Michigan.
Please end your silence today.
On our podcast this week, we spoke to Andy Slavitt – “the man who saved Healthcare.gov” – and he made it clear that members of the U.S. House and Senate pay very close attention to the opinions of state governors, particularly on the issue of healthcare. In other words, YOU HAVE CLOUT! You have a much bigger voice than any ordinary citizen on this issue. It’s time for you to use it on behalf of every Michigander because if the ACA is repealed, the damage it will do to families and even our state’s economy will be devastating.
Yesterday a bipartisan collection of state governors – 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans – sent a letter to Senators Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer pleading with them not to move forward on the Republicans’ plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Here is what they wrote:
Your name should be on the signature line of this important letter, Gov. Snyder. There’s still time however. A full-throated message of opposition from you could have an impact.
On behalf of everyone in Michigan – even those of us with employer-provided healthcare who stand to see benefit caps restored and our out-of-pocket costs skyrocket – I ask you to do the right thing, to show leadership on this incredibly critical issue, and to make your very loud voice heard.
People’s lives literally depend on it.
Thanks.
Warm regards,
Chris Savage (“Eclectablog”)
[CC “Leadership” image credit: Nick Youngson]
