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Representative Raul Labrador got himself in deeper with the follow up to his recent comment that “nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care.” In an attempt to clarify his comment he said, “all hospitals are required by law to treat patients in need of emergency care regardless of their ability to pay and that the Republican plan does not change that.”

But that is precisely the problem: everyone knows that emergency room visits are too expensive. Been there. Done that. One of many problems with the Republican plan is that it does not address this. The Bonner Partners in Care Clinic was begun by Lora Cartelli in part because emergency room care in Bonner County was unsustainable. By the way, Laura died in part because of a lapse in insurance.

I am going to start looking for a representative to vote for in 2018 who understands the basic facts about health care.

NANCY GERTH

Sandpoint