Penny wise and pound foolish

To the editor:
A recent bill by state legislators to ban the expansion of Medicaid (Affordable Care Act) is an example of the General Assembly being “penny wise and pound foolish.”
Legislators claim they want to be fiscally responsible and to create jobs; however, one group (ACTIONNC) claims this bill will cost the North Carolina economy $15 billion.
Why is there a
“rush to judgment” in rejecting the ACA when the federal government has agreed to pay for
100 percent of this healthcare expansion during the first three years and 90 percent in later years?
A Raleigh newspaper noted recently the GOP supermajority used its 31-17 vote to send a message to the federal government that it wants no part of the healthcare law.
I wonder if state legislators, during their “feel good” moment, remembered to consult hospital administrators who must treat uninsured citizens in their emergency rooms? Did they consult the nearly 650,000 North Carolina residents who are prevented from getting health insurance that covers the “donut hole” for prescription drugs, pre-existing conditions, free prevention/treatment programs, age-extended coverage for children and elimination of maximum lifetime limits?
Maybe they should ask themselves if it is a good idea to cut off their collective nose to spite their face.
William Flythe
Southport