welcome to the America bush built On Jan 15, 12:00 pm, margareth <[email protected]> wrote: > This approaches being a no brainer, and will go a long way to > developing a vicious circle...people lose their insurance , then they > get sick, then... they can't work, and cant get affordable > insurance. When people lose their jobs, they begin a downhill slide > toward ruin. Once they hit bottom...homeless beggars, there are very > few resources to aid them at getting back on their feet...they don't > have a home, telephone (call back after interview) shower, (bad smell) > laundry, In many areas an adress is required to qualify for social > assistance,,,, and if you start to wander in hopes of success, it > will only get worse. > > On Jan 15, 8:36 am, "liberal mike532 !" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Struggling States Cut Healthcare for Poor Before Obama Can Bolster > > Coveragehttp://www.truthout.org/011409HA > > The unprecedented reductions come as millions are losing their jobs > > and insurance. They are so steep that the federal rescue package may > > not be able to revive them. > > > Washington - Even as President-elect Barack Obama plans an > > ambitious push to expand health coverage nationwide, states are > > slashing health services to their poorest residents amid the economic > > downturn. > > > The unprecedented cuts in public assistance come as millions of > > Americans are losing their jobs and health insurance. > > > In many cases, the cuts are so deep that even the massive federal > > rescue package being assembled on Capitol Hill may not be enough to > > restore services being eliminated in the burgeoning crisis, health > > officials warn. > > > And the faltering economy has all but killed trailblazing state > > campaigns to expand coverage for the working poor - once seen as > > hopeful signs for national health care reform. > > > Illinois' senior citizens are facing the traumatic prospect of > > being moved from nursing homes teetering on the edge of bankruptcy as > > the homes wait for months to be paid by the floundering state > > government. > > > South Carolina has cut treatment for low-income women under 40 > > with breast or cervical cancer and stopped providing nutritional > > supplements for people with kidney failure. > > > In southern Nevada, cancer patients without health coverage no > > longer have a place to get chemotherapy after the state's largest > > public hospital stopped providing outpatient oncology services. > > > "This is exactly the time when we should be beefing up services," > > said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, > > a > > leading consumer advocacy group. "Instead, we are unraveling the > > safety net to the point where it may not be possible to stitch it > > back > > together again." > > > Congressional Democrats hope to begin offering some help today, > > as > > the House takes up legislation to expand the popular State Children's > > Health Insurance Program, a top priority of the incoming > > administration. > > > The expansion, which could extend coverage to an additional 4 > > million low-income children, was vetoed twice by President Bush in > > 2007, but is expected to easily win approval now. > > > Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also at work on a stimulus package > > that could include as much as $100 billion to bail out Medicaid, the > > primary federally funded health program for the poor administered by > > the states. > > > That aid package is expected to require states to maintain some > > of > > the medical services currently on the chopping block, though it may > > come too late to reverse many cuts already made. > > > Lawmakers plan additional assistance to help Americans keep their > > health insurance if they lose their jobs. > > > But even some congressional leaders concede the help will be > > insufficient. "Let's be honest," said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D- > > Ill.), > > a close Obama ally. "We won't be able to save every soul here." > > > At least 44 states are facing budget shortfalls over the next two > > years totaling more than $350 billion, according to a recent survey > > by > > the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington- > > based think tank. > > > Unable to run deficits like the federal government, states have > > been scrambling for months to cut aid to schools, universities and, > > increasingly, residents who rely on the state for medical care. > > > Nationwide, roughly 60 million low-income people -- half of them > > children -- use the Medicaid program to get some form of healthcare, > > including basic physician services, prescription drugs, X-rays, > > dental > > care and even hospice care. > > > Some of those services are now in jeopardy. > > > Florida is poised to cut its home services for poor senior > > citizens, such as bathing and meal preparation, as nearly 19,000 > > seniors in the state are on a waiting list to get the care rather > > than > > be sent to nursing homes. > > > Utah lawmakers are looking at cutting public health programs and > > eliminating coverage for about 20,000 low-income people who rely on > > the state-funded Utah Primary Care Network. > > > "The scale of this is unprecedented," said AARP Vice President > > Elaine Ryan, who has spent nearly three decades working on health > > policy at the state and federal level. "I really have never seen > > anything like this." > > > Some states have tried to avoid cuts in services by delaying or > > reducing payments to doctors and other medical providers who treat > > low- > > income patients. > > > This is taking a toll, however, as a growing number of providers > > stop treating those with state-funded insurance. > > > Nevada's largest county closed its outpatient oncology clinic > > last > > year, citing decreases in Medicaid funding for treating low-income > > cancer patients. > > > Now, advocates in Las Vegas are having to counsel patients to > > look > > at getting care by moving to other states where they have relatives. > > > "We're essentially creating medical refugees," said Stacey Gross, > > community programs manager at Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Southern > > Nevada. > > > Melvin Siegel, who operates five nursing homes serving some 400 > > seniors around Springfield, Ill., said he is close to closing because > > of slow payments from the state. > > > Nursing homes, which rely heavily on Medicaid, often don't have > > the option of rejecting patients on public assistance. > > > "There is no place to go," said Siegel, 79, who said he has > > borrowed against his home, life insurance and retirement savings to > > keep in business. "If this falls apart, I'll be penniless. . . . It's > > never been this bad."- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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