I remember years ago before I had Medicaid and other benefits, I was employed full time but I had to pay for my own insurance! My whole pay check was practically paying for my health insurance every week! And I made too much for Medicaid! And too much for Food Stamps! But now, I am 75, cannot work due to health problems and I receive Medicare, Medicaid and $27 worth of Food Stamps (SNAP) And now they want to take that away?! Something needs to be done now to save our benefits! What will be next? Medicare cut?
While we may disagree on some points you raise regarding the Iran bombing and Trumps handling of the military/war negotiations, I think we can all agree that the poor need to be given access to medical care and affordable food.
I copied this excerpt from an article that ran this morning regarding Trump’s bill. It passed the voting portion in the house (which I guess means they voted to vote on it?)
Anyway, this part might give you some comfort that there are conservatives who do care about these issues:
“The Medicaid provider tax rate was kept largely the same, except its implementation date was moved back a year. Also included as a sweetener for lawmakers like Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and others was a $25 billion rural hospital stabilization fund over the next five years.”
“Collins said that she would support the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that the rural hospital stabilization fund was a start, but whether she supports the bill on final passage remains to be seen.”
There are people fighting for the poor and underserved on both sides of the aisle. And I wish you and your father well.
I haven't read a lot about the issue until this morning. Heather Cox Richardson said this in her daily newsletter:
"To offset some of the tax cuts in the measure, the Senate bill cuts $930 billion out of Medicaid—more than the House bill cut—and, according to Ron Wyden (D-OR), makes additional cuts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the measure will cause 11.8 million Americans to become uninsured, almost a million more than would have lost health insurance under the House version."
Elizabeth Warren released a video at 2:00 Sunday morning telling her followers that the Democrats in the Senate were voting to force a reading of the full text, nearly 1,000 pages, of the bill on the Senate floor. Her intent, she said, was to make sure no one could claim they didn't know what the bill contained because they didn't have time to read it. This also buys time for voters to contact their senators to object to the Medicaid provisions in the bill.
What I see as the biggest issue of the Medicaid cuts is how those cuts will impact the healthcare system nationwide. The majority of hospitals belong to a for-profit network. Those companies' annual budgets include an estimated amount of Medicaid funding. If that is cut, their profits will be cut. That will result in layoffs and closures of facilities. Even if you have private insurance, you might have to travel further to receive care, or end up on a waiting list for non-emergent surgery or testing.
Likewise, cuts to SNAP will impact grocers and their bottom line, leading to layoffs and closures. Food deserts will expand, leading to poorer health at the same time there is less access to healthcare.
All to allow billionaires to buy bigger yachts, or rockets. Or elaborate weddings in Venice.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. And yes, unfortunately, life is political. From the air we breathe, to the food we eat, to the person we marry. Politics can be life or death. Thank for the reminder to contact our representatives.
I remember years ago before I had Medicaid and other benefits, I was employed full time but I had to pay for my own insurance! My whole pay check was practically paying for my health insurance every week! And I made too much for Medicaid! And too much for Food Stamps! But now, I am 75, cannot work due to health problems and I receive Medicare, Medicaid and $27 worth of Food Stamps (SNAP) And now they want to take that away?! Something needs to be done now to save our benefits! What will be next? Medicare cut?
While we may disagree on some points you raise regarding the Iran bombing and Trumps handling of the military/war negotiations, I think we can all agree that the poor need to be given access to medical care and affordable food.
I copied this excerpt from an article that ran this morning regarding Trump’s bill. It passed the voting portion in the house (which I guess means they voted to vote on it?)
Anyway, this part might give you some comfort that there are conservatives who do care about these issues:
“The Medicaid provider tax rate was kept largely the same, except its implementation date was moved back a year. Also included as a sweetener for lawmakers like Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and others was a $25 billion rural hospital stabilization fund over the next five years.”
“Collins said that she would support the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that the rural hospital stabilization fund was a start, but whether she supports the bill on final passage remains to be seen.”
There are people fighting for the poor and underserved on both sides of the aisle. And I wish you and your father well.
I haven't read a lot about the issue until this morning. Heather Cox Richardson said this in her daily newsletter:
"To offset some of the tax cuts in the measure, the Senate bill cuts $930 billion out of Medicaid—more than the House bill cut—and, according to Ron Wyden (D-OR), makes additional cuts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the measure will cause 11.8 million Americans to become uninsured, almost a million more than would have lost health insurance under the House version."
Elizabeth Warren released a video at 2:00 Sunday morning telling her followers that the Democrats in the Senate were voting to force a reading of the full text, nearly 1,000 pages, of the bill on the Senate floor. Her intent, she said, was to make sure no one could claim they didn't know what the bill contained because they didn't have time to read it. This also buys time for voters to contact their senators to object to the Medicaid provisions in the bill.
What I see as the biggest issue of the Medicaid cuts is how those cuts will impact the healthcare system nationwide. The majority of hospitals belong to a for-profit network. Those companies' annual budgets include an estimated amount of Medicaid funding. If that is cut, their profits will be cut. That will result in layoffs and closures of facilities. Even if you have private insurance, you might have to travel further to receive care, or end up on a waiting list for non-emergent surgery or testing.
Likewise, cuts to SNAP will impact grocers and their bottom line, leading to layoffs and closures. Food deserts will expand, leading to poorer health at the same time there is less access to healthcare.
All to allow billionaires to buy bigger yachts, or rockets. Or elaborate weddings in Venice.
Can you believe that wedding? Geez!
Thank you for taking the time to write this. And yes, unfortunately, life is political. From the air we breathe, to the food we eat, to the person we marry. Politics can be life or death. Thank for the reminder to contact our representatives.
Absolutely. If we don't pay attention, many of the systems upon which we rely may soon disappear.