Rusche: ‘We deceive ourselves,’ needs can be ignored but don’t go away

House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, a physician, is speaking against HB 260, the Medicaid cuts bill, which he called “a flawed financial document,” and said, “It displays some of the worst tunnel-vision budgeting I’ve ever seen. … If we vote for this, we deceive ourselves. … Remember, just because we choose to ignore the needs of people doesn’t mean that it goes away.”

Rusche said the bill includes making permanent temporary rule changes imposed in Medicaid last year that were intended to save $20 million, but saved only $7 million. Under the proposed cuts, he said, “More than a thousand jobs will be lost… all private-sector jobs, all of them paying taxes.” He said, “The illness and the need for services does not go away because we choose not to pay for them. … Damaged bodies do not heal because we pass this bill. … We will pay more, we’ve proven it. To deny that is really tunnel vision.”