Topics not addressed

Representative McMorris Rodgers’ tele-town hall did not address tough questions such as her support for:

1. Replacing Obamacare subsidies with tax credits that only cover a fraction of the cost of health insurance plans, health savings plans to which low income individuals and families cannot afford to contribute and do not guarantee premiums at community rates for all, making health insurance unaffordable for those with preexisting conditions. These plans leave millions presently covered without health care and risk closing many of our critical access hospitals. Losing these hospitals impacts rural heath care and devastates small town economies.

2. Medicaid block grants with plans to gradually decrease the size of the grants, forcing the states to disenroll individuals over time.

3. A tax plan giving half of all tax relief to the wealthiest 1 percent, lowers the tax rate on wealthy corporations to the same as that paid by the low income Americans and balloons our national debt by 10 trillion dollars.

4. Policies withdrawing America from its role as the leader of the free world, weakening our alliances, emboldening our adversaries and immigration actions reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

Robert Kerr M.D.

Spokane