Elizabeth New (Hovde) says limiting Medicaid LTC to people in need is not punitive or unjust
Elizabeth New (Hovde)
Washington Policy Center
Right now, qualifying for taxpayer-provided help with services and supports for long-term care (LTC) is too easy. People can appear impoverished when they’re not. And a lack of more aggressive estate recovery efforts helps seal the deal for those wanting to use other taxpayers’ money for their LTC needs, preserving their assets and life savings to pass on to heirs.
Medicaid is not an inheritance-preservation program, but it is being used as such. State and federal lawmakers can and should better protect resources for the vulnerable and contain program costs for taxpayers.
Limiting Medicaid LTC to people in need is not punitive or unjust. The real injustice lies in allowing people with means to use a taxpayer-provided safety net they do not need. Read more about these policy solutions here.
Elizabeth New (Hovde) is a policy analyst and the director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights. She is a Clark County resident.
Also read:
- Letter: ‘People who have entered illegally must face the consequences of their actions’
Vancouver resident Debra Kalz argues the County Council should not pass immigration-related resolutions and says laws must be followed or changed through proper channels. - Opinion: IBR’s systematic disinformation campaign, its demise
Neighbors for a Better Crossing challenges IBR’s seismic claims and promotes a reuse-and-tunnel alternative they say would save billions at the I-5 crossing. - Letter: ‘Our forefathers warned us to assemble when government rules over We The People’
La Center resident Kimberlee Goheen Elbon criticizes the County Council’s handling of immigration-related meetings and urges residents to assemble and speak out. - Opinion: ‘County Council meetings have become an embarrassment to our community’
Ken Vance criticizes recent Clark County Council meeting conduct and calls for increased security and stronger leadership from Chair Sue Marshall. - POLL: Did the council’s debate and resolution help unite or divide the community?
The Clark County Council’s 3-2 vote to move forward with a modified ICE-related resolution followed heated public comment and sharp debate among councilors.
