McMaster needs to expand Medicaid

Republicans have deceived millions into hating a program that provides health care for millions of impoverished Americans and young adults, that eliminates preexisting-condition death sentences and that phases out the Darth Vader-level-heartless Medicare doughnut hole.

My mother fell into the doughnut hole and was denied diabetes medication. Before the Affordable Care Act, I was denied health care for preexisting conditions.

In February, 2,000 citizens attended Thomas Dixon’s State House People’s March. During my “Health care is a human right” speech, I said if I were governor, I would expand Medicaid and provide health care to more than 100,000 of South Carolina’s poorest. The crowd response: “Run for governor.”

I recently explained to an unemployed and uninsured 19-year-old orphan that if Gov. Henry McMaster cared about her, he would expand Medicaid and work hard to protect Obamacare.

Gov. McMaster needs to expand Medicaid. If he doesn’t, someone like me will.

This story was originally published September 4, 2017 at 6:43 PM with the headline "McMaster needs to expand Medicaid."