Senate Kills All Medicaid Cuts From Budget

AP ^ | 3-17-2005 | ALAN FRAM

[DannyTN]

"You obviously missed my point. Every person in this country can come up with what they feel the government can and should do. Everyone has his/her own priorities."

I figured that was your point, but the examples you used are all legitimate government responsibilities.

• Yes, Government does have a responsibility to insure care for the disabled and indigent is provided.
• Yes, Government does have a responsibility to provide medical care for our soldiers.
• Yes, Government must compete for labor in the labor market just like everyone else. And to be competitive, they must offer health benefits.

  We can probably find areas where we can agree that government doesn't have a legitimate role, and doesn't need as much bureacracy as they have. But so far you haven't provided an example.

  And I respectfully dissagree with Mr. Greenspan.

[jackbill]

Yes, Government does have a responsibility to provide medical care for our soldiers.

I assume that you are talking about former soldiers, i.e. the veterans. If that is so, then NO the government doesn't have a responsibility to take care of all of them.

The government does have a responsibility to take care of those veterans who have a service connected disability, and the government does have a responsibility to take care of those who served at least 20 years and have retired.

That's where the responsibility ends. But there are those, like the American Legion, VFW and other lobbying groups who have convinced the politicians that they will lose votes unless they take care of all veterans.

And, yes, I am a veteran (Korea 1952-53) and no, I am not getting health care from the VA. Nor do I want my fellow taxpayers to provide it for me.

[DannyTN]

We are in agreement there.

Four years in the military does not warrant a lifetime of medical care, unless the care is for an injury received while in the military.

I agree that there are no end of groups that want special treatment and benefits from the government.

But government does have a responsibility to care for the truly disabled, and indigent. You can argue about it being a federal or state responsibility, but the responsibility remains, none the less.

And sadly, that's the only area where I see our Republicans trying to make a cut. And that's just wrong!

[Tokra]

One of the big problems with Medicaid is Emergency Rooms. Medicaid recipients tend to go to hospital emergency rooms for health care rather than a doctor's office.

Why? Because establishing a rapport with a doctor and making and keeping appointments is just too difficult. Much easier to just stroll into an emergency room whenever you feel like it. The last time I was in the emergency room ( for severe chest pains one year after a major heart attack) the woman next to me told me she came in because she had a cold. A cold! I asked her what she thought the hospital was going to do for her. Had there been a cure for the common cold that I missed??

So what if it costs $600 just to walk through the doors? They are not paying for it - we are!

Until this problem is solved - Medicaid costs will just continue to spiral out of control.