Warden isn't qualified to have a voice in our healthcare

Oct 23

Call me crazy, but I like being 78. I’m thankful I qualify for Medicare. I’m in good company as Montana ranks among the top 10 states with the number of oldsters.

Know what’s even crazier? That someone who’s 20, maybe all of 21 by now, and has probably never chosen his own health insurance or paid his own monthly premiums and I’d bet is still on his parents’ plan, thinks he’s qualified to have a voice in our health care. Talk about lack of relevant experience.

Finley Warden, the MAGA candidate running for House District 13, has none, in this and other areas that concern seniors. Montana state representatives do not make decisions about Medicare costs or administration. That’s handled at the federal level. But they do have a say in how state health services and Medicare intersect.

The Legislature writes state insurance statutes that govern private insurers. State lawmakers also consider health care legislation that can directly affect hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and other providers – including those that serve Medicare patients. They can advocate for or against stronger consumer protections and greater state authority to hold Medicare Advantage plans accountable, although those primarily fall under federal purview.

That’s just some of what Warden, who got his high school diploma online, could do if elected. Not to mention the funding power the Legislature has over Medicaid and, by extension, low-income seniors.

For the record, Warden’s opponent is just 30. But Dalton Bradford graduated college, got married, bought a home, has a full-time job and knows firsthand how hard it is to decipher health insurance jargon and pick the right plan.

Hardly a high bar. Yet it’s one Finley Warden can’t clear. I for one don’t want him making decisions for me he has never made for himself.

Sue Rittenhouse
Polson, Montana