Posted on 02/16/2018 8:04:26 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Last week, Congress passed an outline of the 2019 budget. This week, President Trump rolled out his own budget plan, which would fill in some of the spending details. While most proposals in President Trumps newly released 2019 budget are unlikely to become law, the fiscal framework does show the White Houses priorities for government over the coming year. And those apparently dont include support for older adults, younger people with disabilities, or their families.
For example, the Trump budget would:
* Restructure the Medicare drug benefit to reduce costs for some beneficiaries but raise them for others.
* Reduce overall Medicare spending by $236 billion over 10 years.
* Freeze most funding under the Older Americans Act.
* Eliminate key federal block grants that states use to fund programs for seniors.
* Create a new six-week family leave program, but exclude those caring for frail parents or other relatives with disabilities
* Abolish the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
* Cut funding for Food Stamps (SNAP) and shift the benefit from a voucher to a box of home-delivered food.
Lets take a closer look at a few of these proposals:
Medicare drug benefit. Trump has proposed eliminating cost-sharing for seniors with very high prescription drug costs, but at the same time hed increase out-of-pocket expenses for many others, especially those who have significant costs but have not quite reached the threshold where medicine would be free ($8,418 this year).
Other Medicare changes. The budget would reduce overall spending for the program by $236 billion over 10 years. Much of the reduction would come from cutting payments to doctors, skilled nursing facilities, and other providers.
Older Americans Act and related programs. The White House would roughly freeze funding for the nations senior services programs, continuing a decade-long trend.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
We have two friends with Crohn’s disease. One went to the hospital, gut hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of treatments and operations, including having her anus removed. She was on a death watch and we were all waiting.
She was about 18. Her mother’s response was to finally pull her out of the hospital and give her home care with “natural” treatment from internet sites. She is now virtually normal, sans anus.
The other friend went straight natural and you’d never know she has it.
Thanks :)
Wow,My oldest daughter is feeling the after effects of chemo and suspected to have RA.She has stress fractures everywhere and they are trying to stop this.
These guys are seriously saying that a widow with dementia can't pick up a box of groceries and move it into her kitchen, but she is perfectly capable of getting to the grocery store and spending my cash on groceries that she then can take home, put away and cook.
What is needed is to stop the abuse that's rampant, not eliminate programs that some truly need, and by the way invested in all their working lives.
That 2% COLA SS Raise put $1.00 per month in my checking account. The other $133 went to INCREASED Medicare Premiums.
When I picked up my monthly script of a generic med for colon spasms it was $1.00 MORE. This is the Co-Pay increase for this price range of drugs by TRICARE LIFE which is Ret. Military over 65 health ins, Medicare’s secondary coverage. ALL Co-pays went up. In effect we went in the hole this year. NOT even a crumb for a loaf of bread.
“It’s not the least bit funny nor is it a stretch...apparently you’ve never dealt with a dementia patient...don’t mock things you obviously know nothing about. “
I certainly have dealt with dementia,mo mother, and getting a box from Point A to Point B was the least of our problems.
The writer could have come up with a much better example.
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At $65 Billion in Fraud yearly it might not make it that long. Seeing plenty of signs up in docs offices NO NEW MEDICARE PATIENTS. Since we are also Tricare Life it is hard to find a Primary, harder still a Specialist. I was supposed to see a Rhuematologist, took going into Memphis downtown to find 1 who would take the Government Crap in JUNE. That area is a WAR ZONE. I called and cancelled the appointment the IDIOT APN made. I told her what street to find 1 on, it’s a Doctors ROW for 10 miles or more all types of Specialist. Not in a War Zone. Signs up NO GUNS.
My Medicare increased by more than the COLA. I lost about $130 per month.
But don't worry, the government is going to help me. I just looked at the benefit statement I get from SS to use filing my taxes, and I am going to be taxed on that money I didn't get -- isn't that heartwarming.
We are too, there should be no federal or state taxes on SS which was tax money to begin with.
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