Debating Medicaid and Morality

by Frank Morris Kansas City, Mo. - Medicaid has become the single biggest budget item for most states, and nearly all of them are trying to curb its growth. In Missouri, plans to pare 90,000 people from the Medicaid rolls in 2005 have sparked a fierce debate over the morality of the cuts.

The proposals have opened a moral schism, with some preachers expressing outrage, but the governor, a devout Christian, defends the cuts as morally correct. And the governor's office says taking some people off Medicaid will motivate them to improve their lot in life.

Among those affected by the changes is Angel Bridgewater, whose $6.70-per-hour McDonald's job makes her ineligible for state medical aid. Despite supporting three children, she now has to make less than $86 each week to qualify for Medicaid. Before the cuts, she qualified while earning about $300 a week...