Dear Governor Bunt:
I am an Ohio resident who travels to Missouri frequently for business purposes. I recently read an article that referenced two Saint Louis University economics professors and their study of the economic impact of your cutting over $200 million from Missouri Medicaid funding.
I understand your state’s Medicaid cut will save our national government some $379 million in matching funds. This means you are saving hundreds of millions of dollars for taxpayers nationwide, and I thank you on behalf of all of them.
However, I do feel bad about the 10,000-plus Missouri residents who will lose their jobs as a result of your preventing $379 million in federal funding from reaching Missouri (not to mention the ensuing $700+ million loss in Missouri business activity those professors also forecasted).
I also imagine that there will be many thousands more uninsured Missourians because of those job losses and the absence of all that business activity.
But I assure you that Americans elsewhere appreciate your willingness to have your state bite the bullet. Gov. Blunt, again thank you. I appreciate your concern for all us taxpaying citizens outside your state.
Michael J. Baird
Cleveland, OH