Constitution
Paper: IHA “Not Straight With Voters”
October 2, 2010 
EDITORIAL OPINION FROM TWIN FALLS TIMES-NEWS raps Idaho Hospital Association. To its credit, the paper takes a swipe at Idaho Hospital Association even though it supports amendment that will abolish right of citizens to vote on public hospital debt.
JEERS: Hyperbole abounds in election years, but the Idaho Hospital Association has gone too far this time.
The IHA is running TV ads encouraging voters to approve an Idaho constitutional amendment that would permit public hospitals, which are primarily located in small towns and rural areas, to invest in new medical equipment, facilities and technology to better meet the health care needs of patients in their communities. As it stands, such expenditures much be approved to two-thirds of voters.
The IHA says passage of the amendment would help insulate Idaho from the strictures of the health care reform passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this year.
Actually, it wouldn’t. The proposed Idaho amendment, which we support, would give public hospitals the resources they need to attract the best medical personnel, spur the economy by creating jobs and increase operational efficiency through long-term contracts. But whether the amendment passes or not, Obamacare — in all of its manifestations — is still coming to Idaho unless Congress rescinds it.
We understand that health insurance reform is unpopular in Idaho and that the IHA might see it as an attractive mechanism to get the constitutional amendment approved. But the organization is not being straight with the voters.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 3, 2010, 7:42 pm
What would happen if the amendment passes and the smaller public hospitals go out and buy equipment, build new facilities and increase their infrastructure, then when they can’t pay the bills, a larger private hospital comes in to gobble them up? If it were me, the last thing I would allow to happen is to assume the debt for the spending spree! Are there any assurances that won’t happen?
Oct 4, 2010, 11:27 am
I saw that ad on Ch 7 during the pre-game show for the BSU-NMSU game on saturday and was outraged. HJR4 has NOTHING to do with “Washington” or health care reform. They are LYING!!
Oct 5, 2010, 9:57 am
The IHA is simply using the angst against Obama to promote their agenda and build fear. You are correct it has nothing to do with the feds and Washington.
It is simply an effort to get around a vote of the people to go into debt. They are simply using the angst against Obama to try to get voters to fall for the false story that hospitals need a constituional change to better serve citizens of Idaho.
It is simply a poor way to give a false impression to voters to get them to fall for the need to amend the constitution.
I hope all Idahoans understand is that THERE IS NO NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING in the Constitution. Our founders were VERY SMART and understood even then that state and local governments cannot keep their hands out of the wallets of the citizens. And they VERY WISELY set a high mark for the VOTERS to meet to allow governments to BIND themseves and the voters with debt.
Please vote NO and do not allow any changes to the only thing that PROTECTS us from the sneaky government officials that have a never satisfied appitite for our money….whether they call it fees or taxes it is still our money they want.