Editor,
I don’t even know where to start. I cannot believe that in 2017 we as a country are actually looking at a bill that takes health care away from 20 million people – 20 million of our nation’s children, our disabled, our elderly. We hear it all over the news, and to most, it’s just news. But to some it means the difference between life and death.
For the disabled community being able to live at home with an aide gives them the ability to stay with the family as well as the opportunity to be independent.
If this bill passes, programs like Waiver will be lost, forcing some of those into institutions and costing thousands more on the Medicaid system, as well as being inhumane. This is why Waiver was put into place. It helped keep the client at home with the family and saved financially on the Medicaid budget.
But now in the rush to pass this farce of a bill to give tax cuts to the rich, senators are stepping over a dime to pick up a penny. This will in the end cost Medicaid much more on the poor going to the emergency room instead of getting preventive care.
The elderly will end up paying much more for their care at a time in their lives that they are on a fixed income.
The biggest issue really blinding us in the face is the fact that we have two Senators who don’t care about the poor, the old, and the disabled in Arkansas. That is the real problem.
If you lose the heart and soul of our country that cares for the most vulnerable, where will that leave us?
Dani Joy
Agree. The Generation Xers and the Millenials will end up paying for their Baby Boomer parents health expenses as Medicaid and Medicare are dramatically reduced and states will be unable and/or unwilling to pick up the slack. It will be horrific to watch and experience. Only the rich will get richer.