Former Gov. John Kitzhaber has publicly urged U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz to vote no on the Republican budget bill that would slash health care coverage for the poor and middle class —adding to the pressure on the eastern Oregon Republican who has repeatedly cited Kitzhaber’s health care expertise and judgment.
“There's nothing in this bill that’s good for Eastern Oregon,” Kitzhaber told The Lund Report after posting an open letter to Bentz on his blog on July 2 and sending it to him. adding that Bentz had the opportunity to “provide a real true profile in courage.”
While there’s been no shortage of voices urging Bentz to vote no, the Congressman had served with Kitzhaber in Salem and supported the then-governor's health care reforms. Bentz talked repeatedly in recent months about having sought the input of Kitzhaber, a nationally prominent health care thinker who spearheaded the Oregon Health Plan, on the Medicaid budget.
The bill will cost Oregon an estimated $34 billion over the coming decade while leading to a loss of health benefits for more than 237,0000 low-income people, Kitzhaber wrote, adding “the hypocrisy here is stunning.”
Kitzhaber had urged Bentz and others in Congress to pursue reforms that avoided deep cuts in coverage and enrollment now contained in the bill — but decided to make another try in light of the problems with the budget bill.
“We had a lot of conversations” Kitzhaber said. “I do believe that he probably did make a good faith effort to get the amendment in [with] the approach in that we had talked about.”
The Republican-backed bill instead would lead to cuts in coverage for low-income people as well as higher premiums and loss of coverage for some middle-class people who purchase their own insurance, according to nonpartisan analyses.
Kitzhaber said that with his public plea he hoped to make it very clear to Bentz “the consequences this is going to have in not just his district, but across the entire state a budget crisis for the legislature, a quarter of a million people losing coverage, putting a terrible squeeze on college students who might be on the OHP, the paperwork and bureaucracy involved with these work requirements.”
Residents in Bentz’s district won’t benefit from the tax cuts in the bill, Kitzhaber said, adding that there aren’t a lot of large corporations or well-off residents in that part of the state. Not only that, but the loss of coverage and revenue will further threaten nine hospitals in the district, typically the major employer in their community, he added.
The former governor called the political dynamic “mind-boggling” in Congress, but said Bentz would only help his releection chances if he votes no.
“This bill passed the House by only one vote," Kitzhaber wrote. “That means you are in a position to help prevent the catastrophe that is bearing down the people of your district, across our state and throughout the nation”