From Our Friends at FamiliesUSA:
As of last week, it looked as if the US House and Senate would agree on a budget that would be far less harmful to Medicaid beneficiaries than the House’s version. All that changed for the worse last night.
Early this morning, House and Senate negotiators reached a deal on a budget conference that closely resembles the House’s budget. This budget cuts Medicaid by $22.8 billion over 10 years, directly harming low-income beneficiaries. Fearing the disinfectant effect of sunlight and public scrutiny, the House passed this budget at 5:45 AM this morning. In a way, this makes sense: Such an immoral deed can only be done in the cover of darkness.
Once again, our best hope for stopping this unusually cruel piece of legislation lies in the Senate. Specifically, our best hopes lie with four Senators: Norm Coleman (R-MN), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE). If you know anyone in one of these four states —Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Nebraska— we urge to contact them to call their Senator as soon as possible and urge him or her to vote NO on the budget conference report. Please forward this e-mail to them and urge them to call their Senator.
You’ve probably memorized this number already, but here it is again:
Call Your Senators, Toll-Free:1-800-828-0498
This is it: our last chance to stop these deeply harmful and immoral Medicaid cuts from becoming a reality. Your calls have moved Senators to do the right thing in the past, and they can have the same effect again. If you live in one of these four states—Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Nebraska—please call Senators Coleman, Specter, Landrieu, or Nelson and urge him or her to vote NO on the budget conference report.
Two thirds of medicaid spending is for the truly poor and elderly citizens of the U.S. Public support by many is needed for such government programs who provide for these low income beneficiaries.
In my own state of Missouri, there is an element of mistrust with the nursing home in this state, which consist of misleading agreements that require close examination, which is foolish with such establishments, considering medicaid is the single largest payer for them.
When medicaid originated, it was for the protection of those citizens in need, and yet the sense of compassion from our government is no longer perceived by those in need in the U.S.