http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0204/p02s02-uspo.html

President Bush is expected to announce trims in healthcare spending, placing the burden back on fiscally strapped states.
By Alexandra Marks | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
NEW YORK – As President Bush prepares to present his budget next Monday, the nation's governors have put him on notice: Don't try to balance it on our backs.
Their top concern is Medicaid - the $300 billion healthcare program that provides coverage for the disabled, 70 percent of the elderly in nursing homes, and low-income people.



Its costs are spiraling upward, draining state coffers as well as the federal treasury. The primary reason is that as more people lose private insurance, they end up in the Medicaid safety net. Over the past four years, the Medicaid rolls have jumped more than 30 percent. Combine that with the growing number of elderly in nursing homes, and you get a runaway fiscal train that both the states and federal governments agree has to be stopped. But there's a major fight brewing over how to do it.
On Monday, President Bush is expected to propose limiting the federal government's share of the Medicaid bill - perhaps cutting as much as $50 billion over five years. Federal spending on the program is now $180 billion a year. He'd do it by capping the federal allotment in exchange for giving states more flexibility in running their programs.
Many governors say that's no solution, since it primarily shifts the financial burden onto the states, most of which are struggling to keep their Medicaid costs in check. In the past year, all 50 states have cut benefits, restricted eligibility, or increased co-pays to keep the program's spending manageable. Some states, like Tennessee are simply cutting large numbers of people from the program.
Other states are experimenting with different ways to rein in spending. In Florida, for example, Gov. Jeb Bush is proposing essentially privatizing much of Medicaid by contracting private health organizations to provide services.
"We could well be on a collision course where state revenues are not expanding enough to meet the needs of the program at the same time the federal contributions are being cut back," says Diane Rowland, executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. "The end result will be fewer people or services covered. There's no safety net below Medicaid."

A partisan viewpoint

Rick Santorum: Making Medicaid work
Modestly decrease the rate of growth and seriously attack waste and fraud
Wednesday, April 27, 2005

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05117/494721.stm

Republicans worry more about poor people taking hundreds of dollars for their healthcare while CEOs and government contractors bilk the taxpayers and shareholders out of billions.

Yep- while the Bushco group distract us with a non-crisis in SS, they are letting the REAL and immediate problems in Medicaid and Medicare further deteriorate.

Am I being too cynical to say that they are deliberately targeting the weakest among us ?
It is truly a travesty.

IMPO I think this is what shows the GWB does want to fix SS for the long term. He does not give a hoot about Meicaid/care. As a result he will let that program wither on the vine.

Big picture time guys. They're working cloven hoof in cloven hoof. Unlike the "failed liberal policies" of the other states (providing quality to care to those who need it) JEBBERS will "save" Medicare in FL with privatization and the campaign on "we're gonna do for the country what we did for FL." Kinda like with TX and education? Looks good too, til you find about the school districts in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio that cooked the books on test scores to keep their jobs and funding. Of course, there is one silver lining: you can't do that with Medicare; too many bodies to hide.

I'm sure most, if not all, of us have seen the story on what the House did today, but I noticed something that doesn't leap out at you unless you're looking:

"'This budget is an assault on our values," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California. "This budget we are passing today will pass mountains of debt onto our children and grandchildren.'"

"The budget would shave automatically increasing benefit programs by $35 billion over five years while also cutting taxes by as much as $106 billion over the same period."

This from Yahoo! Question: If we're so petrified by out mounting debt, why are we giving out ANOTHER $106 billion in tax cuts? This ain't rocket science here folks. Kill the tax cut and we have the $35 billion to fund Mecicaid, plus another $71 billion to pay down the debt. It's all about "values."

It isn't rocket science! It's "Bleed the Beast", enrich themselves, at the same time you gut the social programs. When they are done they are richer and the rest of us are poorer!

Drink the Kool-aid!

I heard Missouri just cut thousands of people from their medicade program. This was a state action.

What else would we expect from the party of the people of faith?

I think they're nationally cutting medicaid state by state until everyone is so deprived of it that next thing you know we won't have any benefits whatsoever >:O. I hate this stinking country it sucks royally because i can't remember the last time we had a President of the so called "United States of America" That actually had the intelligence to run the country. Bill Clinton was actually better than Bush sure he was a womanizer but at least he left us with a surplus and quite a few benefits that was worth our while. President Bush has been an exhausting problem day after day, If something doesn't get done about him and his cronies we're all going to lead a terrible life down the road and our retirement is going to suck eggs.

I hate President Bush I hate his cronies They are the dumbest people on the face of the planet who don't even know the first thing about how to run a country. They cut Medicaid, they cut disability benefits, they cut, the weather forecasts, they're doing all of this all because it's about money and it's all about their greedy little pig-headed selves. And if they want anymore money they're going to suck this country dry of it until we're so broke that nobody will be able to live in a home anymore and he's going to look around and say like a dumb a** "Well guess what everyone? we're all stinking rich YEE HAW" >:O. We should pass a legislative bill in Congress so that nobody under the BUSH DYNASTY NEVER GETS ELECTED EVER AGAIN!!!

My God that would bring so much relief to me and i cannot wait until that day finally passes and this bill will not be passed through the President at all this is going to be a Bill that is going to be passed by Congress itself for the sake of this country. Somebody please pass this idea of mine on so that my dream becomes a reality and we can all finally live in serenity without an ape in office. I hope to hear from you soon,good luck in all you do.

It just shows how President George W. Bush doesn't care about solving the real problems facing Americans; he'd rather create problems facing Americans and help only his rich buddies. How callous can a president be?

Jesseaw