Regardless of the state you live in, state budgets are a mess. Governors and legislators are reviewing every line item to find out where cuts can be made. But, one of the biggest costs facing any state is Medicaid. And under Obamacare those costs will rise dramatically as millions will be added to the rolls.
On Thursday, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, sent a letter to all governors offering sage advice on what could be done about this Medicaid problem. Her solution…cut benefits.
That’s correct, the same administration that, as we speak, is inventing new ways to drive up health costs (see: new taxes on insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, drug manufacturers, to name just a few), is now proposing that states solve their budgetary nightmare by cutting benefits.
Among the suggestions, cut some programs,
such as physical therapy, dental care, eyeglasses, and even some prescription drugs.
And, if all else fails, states should look into,
removal of some people from the program. [emphasis supplied]
Seems to me this group hasn’t a clue. First we’re told that everyone has to have “affordable health care”, and then we’re told that it’s ok to cut benefits, and drop folks from the health insurance rolls.
Gee, I can’t wait for Obamacare to be fully implemented. Does the word “rationing” come to mind?
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Maybe Sebellious needs to read the bill so that she knows what a qualifying plan is.
It is important in the noble endeavor to provide comprehensive healthcare to all Americans and protect them from profiteering health insurance companies that deny our most vulnerable citizens coverage that the government take over the entire healthcare system. However, in doing so, it will be necessary for the government to limit or eliminate comprehensive healthcare services and deny coverage to some Americans so that comprehensive healthcare can be made available to everyone. Once the greedy insurance companies no longer are taking money out the wallets of hardworking and non-working Americans, more money will be available so that taxes can be raised to provide these reduced or eliminated health services. Republicans fail to understand this logic because they want people to die without the government's help.
Tim, If we could just bottle your wit, we could lower a lot of high blood pressure for the masses.
Is this the administration's new definition of "waiver"?
Would only the press were as breathless about reporting every utterance of Sebelius as they are about Palin…
Of course, Palin is being proven correct more each day.
Hey they only (PBO Admin) wants to remove 500 billion from Medicare for Obamacare. Don't worry they said they can recoup it by by cutting down on abuse. Maybe that means more claims are abuses and denials go up. But hey isn't it something we are going to need to get use to anyways? You should of read it somewhere it those two thousands + pages some place. You did read it right?
Like it or not, physical therapy, dental care, eyeglasses and some prescription drugs are optional coverages, and its the states' decision to offer and pay for them. The gov't claim is that in 2008 these and the rest of the optional services the states chose to offer amounted to 40% of medicaid spending. George Bush suggested states rethink offering these services in 2003.
I just read the Sebelius letter and did not see "removal of some people from the program" in the text.
the letter is here:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/01/2011020…