Medicaid Cuts Coming: Lives In The DC Budget Crosshairs

[Guest guest]

Hey everyone:

Just a quick information bulletin; pass it on. The darkness is coming.

Below are two snippets from Monday's New York Times from a piece about

the White House and Congressional plans to " cut costs. "

Like most articles about Medicaid, this one is nearly devoid of human

faces to put with the numbers, and you don't get the sense that the

author understands that " cutting costs " often means " cutting lives. " I

expect the battle over limiting Medicaid will heat up in 2005. I'm

preparing my plans now.

If anyone doubts badly funded Medicaid cuts lives, a revisiting of the

tragic story of my friend who died after losing his care after

turning 21, should end the debate. Here is a human face to put to the

numbers.

http://wpmi.com/news/special_reports/story.aspx?content_id=607C0C79-1660-4B20-8D\

43-823B2F1F7093

A video link is included.

Nick

===================

Now, onto the NYT article:

Administration Looks to Curb Growth of Medicaid Spending

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: December 20, 2004

*snip*

Federal health officials said the nomination of O. Leavitt as

secretary of health and human services signaled the administration's

desire to make big changes in Medicaid, like those Mr. Leavitt made as

governor of Utah.

Under one proposal, states would be allowed to make many changes like

increasing co-payments and limiting eligibility without having to get

federal waivers. Local officials would also be allowed to provide

different benefits in different parts of a state.

Such plans will stir impassioned debate in Congress. In a letter to

President Bush last week, 47 Democratic senators expressed " opposition

to any Medicaid reform proposal that seeks to impose a cap on federal

Medicaid spending in any form or eliminates the fundamental guarantee to

Medicaid coverage for our nation's must vulnerable citizens. "

Medicaid is financed jointly by the federal government and the states.

Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, a Republican who is vice chairman of the

National Governors Association, said, " None of us could live with

10-year caps on spending " of the type favored by the Bush

administration. If federal spending is capped and the number of Medicaid

recipients increases sharply, Mr. Huckabee said, states will face dire

fiscal problems.

But he said, " We would like to see the federal government give us more

authority and power to control the costs and utilization " of health care

under Medicaid.

*snip*

...........

*snip*

In 1995, Congress passed a bill to end the individual entitlement and

let each state devise its own program with a lump sum of federal money.

Lobbying for that proposal, Mr. Leavitt, who was then chairman of the

Republican Governors Association, said, " We are unanimously opposed to

inclusion of individual entitlements " in the Medicaid bill. The bill was

part of a deficit-reduction measure vetoed by President Bill Clinton.

*snip*

Read the full, non-snipped version here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/politics/20medicaid.html?oref=login & th

[Guest guest]

They can't leave bad enough alone can they. If you are disabled they

will pay you just enough to feed yourself. Never enough to get ahead

or be able to enjoy live without worrying about money everyday. I was

approved but had to go back to work because I can't make it with 4

kids. I only have to take (6) pain pills a day and get 2 hours before

I have to leave so I can get my body going. I don't have Medicare or

Medicaid I do have insurance which I hit my MAX out of pocket every

year. This is although I have a disease that they can't do anything

for. I do have other issues from a car wreck also. So now they want

to make insurance even worse so if I have to quit working it's even

harder. I think about this knowing there are so many people in much

worse situations then myself and can't imagine how they are going to

make it. We have the MDA Clinic which for me at least is almost like

having nothing but can be some help. But many others don't have that.

I bet if President Bush had a daughter come up with a disease things

would change stemcell research for 1. The little people don't have a

voice. We can't afford high power attorneys and lobbyist to make

changes. They control what income disabled have so that is not an

issue for them either. I wish about a 1,000 of us could walk into the

Whitehouse with the media and let him explain himself to us. Anyway

it sucks and I wish we could change it.

Just 1 mans opinion

Terry

[Guest guest]

Nick this is great info. I have a little girl with sma type one and she will be

6 yrs. old Dec. 29. I can relate with these parents. It is very important that

all of us to write our legislators and our governors and get the word out to the

world. We have to fight the state of Ga. for nursecare for our child all the

time and people seems to be shock that does not deal with sickness what we have

to go through.

Nick Dupree <nickdupree@...> wrote:Hey everyone:

Just a quick information bulletin; pass it on. The darkness is coming.

Below are two snippets from Monday's New York Times from a piece about

the White House and Congressional plans to " cut costs. "

Like most articles about Medicaid, this one is nearly devoid of human

faces to put with the numbers, and you don't get the sense that the

author understands that " cutting costs " often means " cutting lives. " I

expect the battle over limiting Medicaid will heat up in 2005. I'm

preparing my plans now.

If anyone doubts badly funded Medicaid cuts lives, a revisiting of the

tragic story of my friend who died after losing his care after

turning 21, should end the debate. Here is a human face to put to the

numbers.

http://wpmi.com/news/special_reports/story.aspx?content_id=607C0C79-1660-4B20-8D\

43-823B2F1F7093

A video link is included.

Nick

===================

Now, onto the NYT article:

Administration Looks to Curb Growth of Medicaid Spending

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: December 20, 2004

*snip*

Federal health officials said the nomination of O. Leavitt as

secretary of health and human services signaled the administration's

desire to make big changes in Medicaid, like those Mr. Leavitt made as

governor of Utah.

Under one proposal, states would be allowed to make many changes like

increasing co-payments and limiting eligibility without having to get

federal waivers. Local officials would also be allowed to provide

different benefits in different parts of a state.

Such plans will stir impassioned debate in Congress. In a letter to

President Bush last week, 47 Democratic senators expressed " opposition

to any Medicaid reform proposal that seeks to impose a cap on federal

Medicaid spending in any form or eliminates the fundamental guarantee to

Medicaid coverage for our nation's must vulnerable citizens. "

Medicaid is financed jointly by the federal government and the states.

Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, a Republican who is vice chairman of the

National Governors Association, said, " None of us could live with

10-year caps on spending " of the type favored by the Bush

administration. If federal spending is capped and the number of Medicaid

recipients increases sharply, Mr. Huckabee said, states will face dire

fiscal problems.

But he said, " We would like to see the federal government give us more

authority and power to control the costs and utilization " of health care

under Medicaid.

*snip*

...........

*snip*

In 1995, Congress passed a bill to end the individual entitlement and

let each state devise its own program with a lump sum of federal money.

Lobbying for that proposal, Mr. Leavitt, who was then chairman of the

Republican Governors Association, said, " We are unanimously opposed to

inclusion of individual entitlements " in the Medicaid bill. The bill was

part of a deficit-reduction measure vetoed by President Bill Clinton.

*snip*

Read the full, non-snipped version here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/politics/20medicaid.html?oref=login & th

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