Ellington

"Medicaid affects Forrest County more than other counties because of our health care facilities. We have approximately 6,000 health-care related jobs, and with cuts to DSH payments, Forrest General alone would have to absorb the cuts by decreasing its staff by more than 200 jobs."

—Mississippi state Sen. Billy Hudson, R-Purvis, during the Forrest County Board of Supervisors' meeting May 23.

Why it stinks: Purvis was explaining why Gov. Phil Bryant and the Mississippi Legislature should expand Medicaid to cover an additional 300,000 people. We applaud Purvis for breaking ranks with fellow Republicans over Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and we hope more will follow. It would have been more significant had he mentioned the thousands of Mississippians whose only current option for medical care is to show up at emergency rooms—perhaps at one of those Forrest County hospitals he's so fond of. (He did manage to squeak them in during a later interview.)

Then again, if a loss of jobs—and a potential subsequent loss of a House or Senate seat—will provide those in need a way to get the adequate medical care they so desperately need, we'll take it.