Heather Pike

I am justifying an opposition to this bill, and I urge legislators to oppose it as well. The notion that health insurance and healthcare can only come as a benefit of working, and that those who are not in the workforce should be denied. Healthcare is one that makes no sense financially or on a human scale. I am giving testimony on behalf of for my disabled loved one and those like them who absolutely need often life-saving medical care at a very high level every week and rely on Medicaid for this. Whether permanently disabled or temporary disabled for illness or whether somebody simply relies on Medicaid and is caught up in cancer treatments on accident on the job car accidents, kidney diseases. The list goes on, whether it’s an acquired illness or something someone is born with. It makes sense economically and on a humane level in this state to ensure that people have medical care. Because it’s what we want for our loved ones. Attempting to force people who are not even part of our lives, people you don’t know, to “get jobs“ because somebody somewhere has an opinion, that that is what “should“ be done, far exceeds the boundaries, which a legislature should cross or any person cross. It also doesn’t make economic sense at all. As any family who has ever endured a major medical challenge health has to come first no one should lose their access to healthcare or their health insurance because they’re not working. If the legislators who are proposing, this will think this through the logic of this reasoning should become quite clear. In my loved ones case my loved one isn’t working and wants to work, but cannot because of their disability and his life-saving treatment every week. Multiply this case by many thousands across the state. If the members of the legislature actually believe in sticking to their knitting, actually hold the principles they say they hold, then I urge you to reject this bill. I heard you not to make life harder for people with major medical issues, or people who are struggling along economically by making healthcare for their families and themselves and health insurance for themselves harder to get and maintain and hold onto because the simple fact is if you don’t care about the people, then at least care about the math. Putting barriers in front of healthcare and health insurance makes everything more expensive for the state of New Hampshire. It prevents people from re-entering the workforce, and it puts the burden on the families who are the caregivers and it is a barrier to their economic viability as well. I would urge any legislator that thinks this Bill is a good idea to actually get out there, get out of their social and economic bubble, and spend some time meeting with families from the southern border to the northern border,who are dealing with major medical issues and rely on Medicaid to get through them. This firsthand information gathering from the people who are depending on Medicaid,, instead of opinions created in the absence of fact, it would not be coming up again and again on the legislative docket.