Join web conversation on the major issues of the day
Let's vote!
We are a small group of concerned citizens who have just started a Facebook page to stimulate non-rancorous discussion about the critical issues impacting our county, our state and our country during this election year. Our aim is to provide a forum to share ideas that includes links to informational websites, pertinent articles, and commentary that allows each of us to expand our knowledge, express our ideas, and listen to others' points of view.
Our first topic is healthcare. It seems timely because a recent article in the Herald reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan is -- once again -- calling for a vote to end the Affordable Care Act for the 63rd time. This seems like a spurious waste of precious congressional time and taxpayer money.
A recent poll found that only 11 percent of the population considers this an important election issue. Who benefits from this purely ideological vote? Obviously not the millions of people who would lose benefits -- and seemingly, none of the candidates seeking election.
So far, we have posted information on Florida and the 18 other states that have not yet expanded Medicaid. There has been a lot written about the resulting loss of healthcare coverage for almost 1 million people in our state.
But did you know that by refusing this expansion, Florida has rejected more than $66 billion (over a 10-year period) from the federal government to fund the Medicaid expansion and lost over $22 billion in hospital reimbursement costs?
And the Council of Economic Advisors found that these federal dollars also stimulate economic growth and employment. We have contributed our tax dollars, but as residents of Florida, we are not reaping any of the benefits of our hard-earned money.
Please join us at: facebook.com/everyvotematters and lend your voice to the conversation.
Ricki Mazzullo
Bradenton
This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Join web conversation on the major issues of the day ."