Re: USA: 19 States cutting healthcare

[Guest guest]

This, of course, only burdens emergency rooms even more. We can spend obscene amount of money on war and pet projects, but there's never enough to help people in need regardless of what political flannelmouths have to say about how much they care for the needy. They don't.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Eleanor Roosevelt

From: <rumjal@...>Subject: [Flu] USA: 19 States cutting healthcareFlu Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008, 8:20 PM

States cutting healthcare, report showsThu Dec 11, 2008 1:33pm ESTBy Maggie Fox, Health and Science EditorWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several U.S. states are cutting their healthinsurance coverage for residents, including the Medicaid program forthe poor, because of budget deficits, according to a report releasedon Thursday.The Families USA report found that 19 states have enacted or proposedcuts in Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance plan for thepoor, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known asSCHIP, for fiscal years 2009 or 2010.More than 1 million people could lose all health coverage, and manymore could have their benefits reduced -- including having to pay moreout of their own pockets for care and losing dental or visionbenefits, the report said.It calls on Congress to raise the amount the federal governmentcontributes to Medicaid, which covers 59

million people with lowincomes and also many in long-term care facilities, and to quicklyrenew SCHIP.President-elect Barack Obama named former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle to beHealth and Human Services Secretary on Wednesday -- a job to includethe new role of director of White House Office of Health Reform. Thereport suggests Daschle will be fighting an even bigger crisis thanwhen Obama made healthcare reform a major plank in his electioncampaign platform.Already, 46 Americans have no health insurance, meaning they pay forhealthcare out of their own pockets. Medicare, the federal healthinsurance system for the elderly, covers 44 million people, whilestates chip in with the federal government for Medicaid and SCHIP,which covered 7 million children in 2007.The report by the non-profit Families USA finds that states arecutting Medicaid and SCHIP by either reducing eligibility,

cuttingbenefits, raising costs for members or lowering payments to healthcareproviders.The report...noted that rising unemployment rates are costing statesmoney.Jobless claims were the highest they have been in 26 years last week-- 573,000 -- and the unemployment rate is now 6.7 percent."A one percentage point increase in the unemployment rate causes stategeneral fund revenues to drop by 3 to 4 percent," the report reads."The National Governors Association and the National Conference ofState Legislatures estimate that, for the budgets for fiscal years2009 and 2010, states face a cumulative deficit of more than $140billion."Because Medicaid and SCHIP are such a large part of many statebudgets, they look like an obvious place to save -- especially sincemost states are required by their constitutions to balance their budgets.But that strategy is counterproductive, the

report says."For every dollar a state cuts from its Medicaid or SCHIP program, itsaves only between 17 and 50 cents in state funding, but it losesbetween 50 and 83 cents in federal funding and the economic stimulusthat results from those federal funds," the report reads.http://www.reuters. com/article/ domesticNews/ idUSTRE4BA5NH200 81211?rpc= 64

[Guest guest]

No, they do not care for the needy. And with unemployment rising,

America needs a national health system now. Until we get it, the best

advice is s: marry someone who has access to the health

care systems in Canada or Europe. And with an aging population, we

need to do something now.

>

> This, of course, only burdens emergency rooms even more. We can

spend obscene amount of money on war and pet projects, but there's

never enough to help people in need regardless of what political

flannelmouths have to say about how much they care for the needy.

They don't.

>

> Do one thing every day that scares you.

> Eleanor Roosevelt