Medicaid Cuts Hit Home in Kentucky: Burden of Care Overwhelms Unprepared Families

Louisville, KY, Courier-Journal ^ | 08-31-03 | Yetter, Deborah

[Theodore R.]

Nellie Plank, 96, was forced out of a nursing home by Medicaid cuts and now lives with her son, James Hosier. "I've called a bunch of politicians and that was really a big help," Hosier said sarcastically. "I've voted my last vote

[zerosix]

God forbid, anyone should have to take care of one's own parents!

We give people free daycare for their children, so that they aren't forced to care for the little ones and sign up the parents so that John Q Public has to pay for the care and feeding of our parents (that way children get to keep their parent's savings after they die rather than spend a dime on them.)

Look at France, claiming that the tens of thousands of elderly died during the current heat wave was the fault of the health ministry for not checking on those people, rather than their own families.

Absurd, the same will be standard in this country because the middle class now looks to government for taking care of their families, just like Socialist France!

[Theodore R.]

If the scenario you describe is really accurate, then we might starting preparing for a "President Dean" in 2005. He could bring us "Hillary-style" health care without Hillary.

[Maria S]

"...sign up the parents so that John Q Public has to pay for the care and feeding of our parents (that way children get to keep their parent's savings after they die rather than spend a dime on them.)"

Bingo! Same problem here in Texas, where many people won't sign over parents' homes (which they have power of attorney for) or any assets..."let the state [meaning everyone else] pay for my parents' care, while I get to keep all of their assets after they die." It's a shame if you have to sell your folks' home or some of their assets to help pay for their care, but it's more of a shame if I have to pay for YOUR parents while you enjoy all of their assets. MY taxes are already high enough as it is.

[Voltage]

One could always do what the Eskimoo's did, when a person got too old, they would just sit outside until they froze to death.

In our society instead of sitting outside the igloo, we could sit them outside the taxpayer built sports stadiums!

[shhrubbery!]

We give people free daycare for their children, so that they aren't forced to care for the little ones and sign up the parents so that John Q Public has to pay for the care and feeding of our parents

Exactly right.

Socialism, in the form of Social Security, Medicare, and taxpayer subsidized 'day care' has divorced parents from children, at both ends of the age spectrum.

What socialism has wrought, for both our young and our old, is NOT 'care' (as in the misnamed Medi-CARE or Hillary-CARE), but neglect and misery.

[toddst]

It's a shame if you have to sell your folks' home or some of their assets to help pay for their care, but it's more of a shame if I have to pay for YOUR parents while you enjoy all of their assets.

You are exactly right and this kind of thinking is part of the problem.

We have many people in our state who basically have no assets to speak of. If they don't get public-based care the alternative is as described in the first example - the elderly parent is moved in with the children. Somehow that's become unacceptable as a burden, yet it's exactly what was done before LBJ's "Great Society."