It’s cheaper to let Medicaid pay

The recent column by Kristi O’Harran about the expected arrival of her grandchild and her puzzlement at her daughter not being married prior to the birth caught my eye. One possible reason couples are not marrying prior to a birth (not to imply this is the case with her daughter) is the avoidance of paying $4,000-$6,000 by remaining single with little or no income and allowing the Washington state Medicaid program to pick up the tab. The statistics for Medicaid-funded births are staggering. Based on available statistics in 2003, more than 30,000 births were funded by Medicaid, amounting to more than 40 percent of all births in Washington.

Al Ross

Everett