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Sun 19 Jan, 2003 07:09 am
In its infinite wisdom, this panel has urged freezes in payments to nursing homes and related health care agencies:
Quote:WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 - To slow the growth of Medicare, an
influential federal advisory panel will soon recommend that
Congress freeze payments to nursing homes and home care
agencies and reduce the cost-of-living allowance that
hospitals are scheduled to receive next year.
Republicans in Congress and Bush administration officials
welcomed the proposals, saying they would save money for
taxpayers and the Medicare trust fund. But health care
providers expressed alarm, saying the proposals could
reduce access to care for millions of the elderly and
disabled.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/19/national/19MEDI.html?ex=1043975204&ei=1&en=aaa9d023f33fd2dc
Since it is generally recognized that such entities/agencies can't attract better people to work as direct caregivers because of the low salaries they offer, how are our parents and elderly loved ones going to exist comfortably if the present pay structure is frozen? And what of our level of confidence and anxiety levels, knowing that there will just be more of the same?
Well sure I do, and I'm also sure that most folk who read this, and the original article, will feel much the same.
May I be so brazen as to suggest that such proposed actions are a direct consequence of Bush's values, and the cost of the seemingly imminent war?
How the commission feels that what amounts to cuts in spending in this area, relativistically speaking, can be 'gotten over' in the general populace, is beyond me.
i have a comment "_()&&^)*^$&$(&#%^$)*&^_(*^%^)" compassion conservative *^)^*%(%(^%"
Seems like most of the cuts are being made to institutions full of people who most depend on the funding. Nursing homes, schools, unemployment....
Hmm...well if anybody is still listening here....
Medicaid (note: not Medicare)....has also recently cut funding for adult Medicaid services including dental, optical, presecriptions and podiatry. Since many Seniors receive Medicaid health services, this is going to be especially hard on them. Then there is the domino effect to be considered as doctors' offices and clinics that service these folks are forced to cut hours and lay off staff leading to more people being out of work and needing Medicaid themselves.
Yup. Good old Republican reasoning at work again. Sigh.
Just another taste of compassionate conservatism.
House and Senate Weigh Co-Payment for Care at Home
By ROBERT PEAR
House and Senate negotiators working on Medicare
legislation are considering a co-payment of $40 to $45 for
a 60-day period of home care.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/national/14MEDI.html?th
The legislation is supposedly meant to improve medicare. I would seem that the improvement will be in the governments bottom line. If congress had it's way of dealing with the elderly, they would place us on an iceflow and sends us out to sea.
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