Even in Lame Duck Days, Bush Attacks Health Care

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/06/even-in-lame-duck-days-bush-attacks-health-care/

by Seth Michaels, Feb 6, 2008

The issue of health care is a key part of the 2008 elections, and nearly 15,000 of you have taken part in the AFL-CIO Health Care for America Survey, including more than 4,200 of you who shared your personal experiences.

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/survey/index.cfm?source=hc_survey_aflcioblog

The overwhelming response shows how worried people are about the serious flaws in our health care system. Sharon, in Lansing, Mich., is among those whose family has been affected by the crisis.

My mother-in-law was employed in a low-wage job that did not provide health care coverage. She became ill and could not afford to go to doctors on her own. My husband and I urged her to go, stating we would pay for the visit. By the time she got to the doctors, she had pneumonia and required hospitalization. The pneumonia placed so much stress on her system that she ended up dying. If she had had health care coverage and been able to go to the doctor’s for treatment earlier, she likely would not have died.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration is putting even the most basic protections at risk by cutting funding for Medicare and Medicaid. These programs, which provide the safety net for millions of older and low-income Americans, are the last resort for those who end up on the wrong side of our health care system. Bush’s proposed cuts of $91 billion to Medicare and $14 billion to Medicaid would endanger lives.

Last month, experts and advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., to discuss these and other issues at the 13th annual Health Action Conference of Families USA, a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization that advocates for high-quality coverage for everyone.

At a standing-room-only session, “While We Weren’t Looking: Devious Attempts to Harm Vulnerable Populations,” health care scholars discussed the flood of Bush administration rule changes making it harder for states to provide even basic Medicaid and Medicare services. The highly technical rule changes are undermining the intended effects of health care law passed by Congress.


FULL story at link.

[VP505]

1. I wouldn't be too quick

to label Bu$h as a lame duck, he still has, thanks to the DLC and Dino's in both Houses plenty of clout to get what he wants.