Ah-choo, Bevin

The latest edict from Frankfort’s never-ending disregard for the poor is to stop allergy testing for Medicaid recipients.

Kentucky is in the top five states for allergen-induced respiratory illnesses. Being an asthmatic, I know only too well the crippling effects — physical and financial — of airborne triggers.

Here’s the cost-benefit analysis for ending testing.

Costs: filled emergency rooms, increase in lengthy hospital stays, and some deaths among those in rural communities who have no transportation or phone service to call for emergency medical treatment.

Benefits: advancing Gov. Matt Bevin’s agenda and increased mortuary businesses.

Kentucky is a commonwealth, not a dictatorship. The governor should read the U.S. Constitution, which he swore an oath to uphold. Though he may consider it pesky, he should note the opening line. It begins “We the People,” not “We, the financially comfortable.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Ah-choo, Bevin."