Posted on 03/17/2005 6:22:13 AM PST by RockinRight
WASHINGTON (AP) - A drive by President Bush and top congressional Republicans to make modest Medicaid cuts is hitting a buzz saw in the person of a moderate GOP senator from Oregon. The Senate seemed likely to vote Thursday on an effort led by Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., to eliminate all $14 billion in five-year savings the chamber's budget proposes in the health care program for the poor and elderly. That would be a 1 percent reduction from the $1.12 trillion Medicaid is projected to spend over that period. The vote was expected to be close, with Smith and co-sponsor Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., supported by all Senate Democrats and a handful of GOP moderates. A potentially pivotal Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said late Wednesday that she was ``inclined to support'' Smith but was being lobbied hard by Republican leaders. Smith's amendment has become a test of the GOP-run Congress' taste for trimming popular benefit programs at a time of record federal deficits that most analysts agree will take far sterner medicine to control. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said the proposed savings were ``a modest but important step toward controlling the biggest problem we have in Washington'' - spending by rapidly growing benefit programs.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.netscape.cnn.com ...
Perhaps she needs to hear from some of us, politely, of course.
1-877-762-8762
</ sarcasm??? >
I have to believe that there is something else they can go after before Medicaid. Medicaid is for poor children, the poor elderly and the disabled. Medicaid is not fun, in fact, it's pretty lousy much of the time, but it's the only option some people have. I don't know of any private charities that provide the same, I have looked.
For example, I am disabled, my only income is social security disability. That's very little money every month, and this will probably be for the rest of my life (unless there is some miracle cure!). I'm young so I didn't have a lot of money saved up when I became disabled (at age 19). I can't afford to buy my own health insurance, not even close, plus pay for prescriptions and everything else. I hate Medicaid but I'm sick and have no other options.
There are a ton of things they should be cutting but won't.
Even more, he needs to hear from the White House. Come on, Mister President, take the gloves off and crack down on these RINOS. Put Karl Rove on the job.
If being for the conservative agenda makes me an extremist, then I'm proud to be an extremist.
There is no correlation between tax cuts and medicaid cuts.
After that lets solve the problem of 10 Trillion in Unfunded Liabilities in Social Security.
We can't make it all up in tax hikes......
This is why I do not donate to the RNC....
End all farm subsidies?
Let's do it. But it will take a heck of a lot more than that.
In fact cutting all discretionary spending wouldn't do it.
We need fundamental change in Medicare and Medicaid
Time for a west coast RINO hunt.
Best wishes to all with disabilities and otherwise disadvantaged!
The one has nothing to do with the other.
Gordon Smith is one of the best senators on the west coast.
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