California gets OK for large cuts to Medi-Cal

California plans to reduce payments to many Medi-Cal providers by 10%. The federal government's approval of the budget-cutting measure raises concerns from doctors and others.

The Obama administration will allow California to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from Medi-Cal, a move doctors and experts say will make it harder for the poor to get medical treatment.

California plans to reduce rates by 10% to many providers, including physicians, dentists, clinics, pharmacies and most nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday.

Adults use to care for their parents..there was no such thing as nursing homes when I was a kid...but there was a poor house where those without means could have a roof over their head and no one wanted to be known as a person that put their parents in the poor house...My family had a 2 bedroom house with a kitchen, dining room living room. I had 2 sisters, 1 brother and for 4 months out of every year my grandma lived with us...My mothers 2 brothers had her for 4 months each and every 4th year one would take the deduction on their taxes...her other brother gave money go help with grandma's needs as he didn't have the ability to care for her, he had a nervous breakdown and never quite got rid of it... In todays terms, I figure he had chronic depression and although married, never had any kids of his own....that was the normal way.

I came along at the end of the depression but my father was a Detroit cop and we always had dinner as a family...No refrig. but an old ice Box, no TV, it wasn't available in the 40's, no air conditioning, coal furnace, dishwasher (that was the kids job). Women stayed home to care for the kids, but families could only afford 1 car and that was what mothers did....a few worked, but only if a family member was in the home (like a grandmother or aunt) to take care of the children...

Dag nab it, I am starting to sound like an old lady....dag nab it, I am an old lady...

The middle class of those days didn't have the conveniences the poor have today...Oh yea, no welfare, a man had pride and would do anything to keep off the dole as it was called. Only bums went on the dole...

I don't know what it was like during the depth's of the depression, but I'd bet it was far worse than it is today...

PS 4 party telephones were common, we had only a 2 party line...and by the last 40's a private phone...my how things change....

PPSS Our home was an income. The upstairs could be rented out, but only to someone we personally knew...Looked a lot like the opening house on the Roseann Barr old show...

Sorry to read about your mom. God bless her. I prayed for her.

Thanks. She could use a few prayers. She's just exhausted with the number of medical problems that have beset her since April. We're hoping she is up to being discharged from the hospital today and able to return to her apartment at the assisted living facility. There won't be any "recovery" back to normal. It's a matter of being as comfortable as possible until the end comes.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.