September 18, 2006 2:52PM 

# Beggar Thy Neighbor 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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This item is a month old, but worth taking the time to read — especially if you work on health policy in the states. Paul Gessing is the president of New Mexico’s [Rio Grande Foundation](http://www.riograndefoundation.org/). That state’s governor, Bill Richardson, is planning a run for the presidency and recently proposed expanding New Mexico’s Medicaid program. In an [article](http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTBkODdmYzFiMGYzZWU4ZjA0Nzc3MmYwMGQ5MDY3NWY) for *National Review Online*, Gessing does a superb job of explaining why that is the wrong approach. [Other state think tanks](http://www.spn.org/) should take note.

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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