Expanding Medicaid Coverage

May 16, 2013 — Sivan 7, 5773

“Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor,” Leviticus 19:16.

The Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis strongly supports Governor Kasich in his request to expand Medicaid coverage in Ohio as provided for by the Affordable Care Act, and urges our state representatives to vote for this expansion.

We see this as a clear “win/win” decision, on the one hand doing what is right, moral and good (providing health care coverage for Ohioans with low income), and on the other hand, reducing Ohio’s health care expenses. Sometimes taking the moral high ground requires sacrifice. In this case, no sacrifice is needed. Rather, it is in everyone’s best interests to provide better health care at less cost via Medicaid expansion.

Judaism holds that the life and health of individuals is of great importance, and providing health care is a societal obligation. Almost all self-governing Jewish communities throughout history set up systems to ensure that all their citizens had access to health care. Doctors were required to reduce their rates for poor patients, and when that was not sufficient, communal subsidies were established (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 249:16).

We hope our representatives in the Ohio legislature will concur by expanding Medicaid coverage, thereby enabling Ohioans to take care of the health care needs of our low income neighbors while reducing our state health care expenditures.