Gov. Terry Branstad must justify Medicaid proposal

To the editor:

Thank you for recognizing the long opposition Gov. Terry Branstad has had for expanding Medicaid ('Branstad's Medicaid dismissal flunks history,” Nov. 14). It is also important for Iowans to know that the so-called compromise the legislature passed in 2013 was the Senate Democrat's original proposal to expand Medicaid with minor alterations. I should know, I authored the bill that the Senate used to mobile support from providers, patients and human service advocates (including many in the business community).

Iowans need to understand the motivation behind the governor's new reform, it is to shift as many public services to the private sector. With his newest proposal to privatize Medicaid, he has not offered any real data that would justify the shift. Let's hope the federal government slows this shift down to require Branstad to justify his proposal.

Jack Hatch

Des Moines