The Billings Gazette, May 8, on health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives:
Montana has benefited greatly from the ACA, and thus has more to lose from the American Health Care Act that would:
-Take Medicaid away from the 71,000 Montanans who got covered under the ACA.
-Cut federal funding for the care of children, elders, disabled and pregnant women who were still covered by Medicaid.
-Allow states to discard the ACA rule mandating coverage of pre-existing conditions.
-Eliminate marketplace insurance subsidies based on income and replace them with much smaller subsidies based on age.
-End ACA funding for community health centers, such as RiverStone Health, after Sept. 30, 2018.
Montana hospitals and clinics with slim or negative operating margins would have to increase local taxpayer subsidies or close their doors. Our rural and nonprofit community medical centers would be hardest hit.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives rushed to pass that health care “reform” bill last week without crucial analysis of its costs and benefits. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office hasn’t had time to analyze the scheme that was narrowly approved to give GOP leaders and President Donald Trump a “win.”
The American Health Care Act passed without Montana representation. Our single House seat remains vacant after Ryan Zinke resigned to become U.S. Interior secretary. So it’s all the more important that our two senators understand how the hastily written AHCA will hurt Montanans.
The House GOP bill not only would tighten eligibility rules for adults, it would reduce the maximum family income limit for children ages 6-19, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Only those kids living in families below poverty level would be covered after 2019.
Montana’ children’s Medicaid program, called Healthy Montana Kids, covers 81,000, making it the largest provider of children’s coverage in the state.
Rural states, including Montana, had high proportions on uninsured residents before the Affordable Care Act. Montana is a small business state where premiums on the old small group and individual health insurance markets were unaffordable for many who now receive premium subsidies.
Despite large double-digit increases in insurance premiums this year, 70 percent of Montanans who get federal premium subsidies were able to purchase coverage for less than $75 per month, according to a federal study completed late last year.
Instead of destroying the good that the Affordable Care Act has done, (as the House has voted to do) U.S. senators should demand and create a replacement to fix the problems of premiums rising for middle income Americans.
Tester needs to convince his colleagues not to destroy the good that the ACA has done.
Daines, who has long railed against the ACA, must look at the actual costs and benefits of the ACHA and work toward a much better replacement.
The ACHA as approved by House Republicans creates more problems than it solves. This ill-conceived scheme largely would take America - and Montana - back to where we were before the ACA when 20 percent of our state population had no health coverage.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/2pXDkF9
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The Daily Inter Lake, May 7, on Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park’s “dark sky” designation:
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is the first trans-boundary International Dark Sky Park - an important designation in protecting the visitor experience that drives the tourism industry in Northwest Montana.
It’s estimated that one-third of the world’s population is unable to see the Milky Way due to light pollution. But thanks to some forward-thinking individuals who put in a decade of work to secure the Dark Sky designation, Glacier remains one place where a person can truly experience the natural wonder of the night sky.
Reducing light pollution is also important from an ecological perspective. Experts say unnatural light is disruptive of migration and other natural processes of wildlife.
This summer, the parks will host a series of star parties and solar viewing programs for the public to learn more about this new designation.
The publicity from the Dark Sky designation will no doubt help propel even more visitors to our next of the woods this year.
Whether it’s for night viewing or wildlife viewing, eco-tourism continues to be big business for Northwest Montana - the proof is in the numbers.
Visitors to Glacier National Park are responsible for injecting more than $250 million into the local economy last year, according to a new report issued by the Interior Department. That’s a 25 percent increase over 2015.
It’s important to note that these dollars aren’t just going to tourism-related businesses. The inflow of money is spread throughout the economy, helping to support more than 4,000 jobs and accounting for about $117 million in labor income in gateway economies surrounding Glacier. That’s no small potatoes.
There’s no denying the importance tourism plays in Montana’s economy, which is now considered the second largest industry in the state.
Of course, this brings challenges as well, especially in sensitive areas such as Glacier Park. Figuring out how to accommodate park visitors without damaging the eco-system will continue to be a major challenge for the next several decades.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/2r03xAa
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The Livingston Enterprise, May 2, on federal legislation to block mining near Yellowstone National Park:
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester recently made good on his promise to introduce legislation aimed at halting future mining on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park.
Many Park County residents applauded Tester for introducing the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, which would permanently remove federal mineral rights on some 30,000 acres of public land in the Custer Gallatin National Forest near Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness.
“My bill will be effective in stopping large-scale mining in the valley,” Tester said during a recent conference call with reporters.
It’s difficult to understand why anyone would support large-scale mining on public land in Paradise Valley. Yet in the days since Tester introduced his bill, some have questioned whether Tester’s bill stands a chance of becoming law.
Perhaps that’s because President Donald Trump is seen as a leader who supports energy development. But this isn’t a cut-and-dried issue favored exclusively by one party and opposed by another. You don’t have to be anti-mining to support Tester’s bill. You simply have to understand that some areas, such as Paradise Valley and the land surrounding Yellowstone National Park, are simply not ideal locations for large-scale mineral extraction.
Both candidates - Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist, seeking the U.S. House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke - have made public statements opposing two mining proposals near the park.
And Zinke, who was appointed by Trump as the new Secretary of the Interior, told the staff of this newspaper last summer that he, too, opposes mining adjacent to national parks.
“There’s places to mine. I just can’t see where mining around Yellowstone National Park or Glacier meets the greater good,” Zinke said.
Let’s hope Zinke works to help shepherd Tester’s bill through the political process and encourages President Trump to sign the bill into law.
Now that’s a picture we would like to see: Ryan Zinke, Tester and many Livingston and Paradise Valley residents and business owners crowded around Donald Trump during a signing ceremony for the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act.
This is a unique opportunity for Trump, Zinke and our congressional delegation to unite on this important issue. Montana voters send elected officials to office because they align with our values and pledge to look our for our best interests back in Washington, D.C.
Let’s hope they, too, will make good on that promise.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/2qZLLNG
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