Who is ringing the alarm on Medicaid in a way that will make Congress pay attention?
Outside of some blogging at ourfuture.org, the fate of Medicaid in the current budget fight has been a low profile priority among most broader liberal groups; health care advocacy groups haven't mobilized large-scale organizing or a high-profile ad campaign to rival the political concerns over Medicare, and, as has become increasingly obvious, Democratic leaders and the White House are "silent" on Medicaid.
Health advocacy groups could form alliances with rapid-fire response liberal organizations like Adam Greens' PCCC/Bold Progressives or learn from that organization's successes, but that's apparently not happening either. Where are there signs of mass mobilization, widespread email alerts across the liberal spectrum, and high-profile TV and web ads over Medicaid?
Here are the most salient highlights of the Politico story on Democrats' reluctance to speak out on Medicare:
Yet, for all the Democrats’ posturing and campaigning against Republican plans for Medicare, the GOP budget actually makes more immediate and deeper cuts to Medicaid. But Democrats haven’t been blasting the GOP Medicaid plan with nearly the same fervor, even though Republicans would cut about $750 billion from the program during the next decade and end the guaranteed federal match for states...
As Democrats continue to hammer home the Medicare message — and promise to make it a central campaign issue in 2012 — staffers for leading House and Senate Democrats in a closed-door meeting last week urged Medicaid advocates to get their message out. The underlying message, according to advocates who attended the meeting, is that congressional Democrats would rather let outside groups do the heavy lifting on Medicaid.
The deciding question over the next few weeks is whether broad-based liberal groups, labor and health advocacy organizations step up to do that heavy lifting with grass-roots organizing and aggressive messaging. One sign that progressives and reformers are willing to fight hard to protect Medicaid: When the powerful and influential AARP representing seniors enters the fray in a dramatic, obvious way by placing ads and mobilizing their millions of members. As of this week, there doesn't even seem to be any clear-cut, front-page section of their website flagging the need for members to take action to save Medicaid. Yet about 40% of long-term nursing care is paid for by Medicaid.
Without the AARP's high-profile involvement, the Republicans and compromise-prone Democrats are likely going to get their way to cap Medicaid spending.
And those with disabilities are able to find sheltered or supported employment in the community, where they earn money and pay taxes. If they have programs taken away, they may be forced back into institutions where they earn nothing, make no progress, and it will cost us more to care for them.
Sad to say, it is rather hard to keep up with it all.
AND too many Dem politicians don't really care to fight too much on some issues....they are bought and paid for by the oligarchs AND want to do their bidding.
********They are almost all bought and paid for, but a handful of politicians still have a conscience.
Also, seniors are big voters, but the poor (who use medicaid) are less likely to vote.
It means cutting waste, over-treatment and inappropriate treatment, which we should all support.
Let's end the fear mongering and demagoguery .... or just leave that to politicians.
I won't go into boring detail, but I am on disability.
Along with my physical illnesses, I am severely bipolar.
Long story short, the ONLY thing that has ever controlled (to some extent) the depression and mania have been medicines. (medicaid)
If I don't take my medicines, I have gone into mania rages in the past.
Out of control rages.
I don't like them and I don't want them but I can't completely control them.
(I only got into legal trouble once for a family fight....unbelievable to me.)
If I don't get my medicines to prevent bipolar rages because the government won't spend the money on me........well, I am older, sick, disgusted, and I do NOT care what happens.
(Being a short, chubby, older woman is besides the point. I get like a pit bull.)
No meds and somebody hurts me......
And there are a lot of sick people like me.
Controlled on meds, responsible, law abiding, but we HAVE to have the medicines.
You also need a very supportive family. And that, the govt cannot provide.
I know watching the TV Land channel can be nice and sweet and charming but its T.V. based on a fictitious world that never existed. We live in an age where familys can be seperated by 1000s of miles, broken due to divorce or seperation, busy due to needing 2 incomes, busy due to hectic work schedules..... We don't have an agragrian, localized and personalized world anymore. It ain't little house on the prairie..
On one hand the right says: every man for himself and then on the other, you need a caring a supporting family to look after you. Those ideas conflict with one another.
We are a family. A nation is a family. The government (of the people, by the people) is the watchdog to make sure our members don't fall through the cracks because in a family of 300 million people you are going to have people fall through the cracks. Just as they are the watchdog to make sure we aren't attacked by a foreign foe. What is the purpose of a national defense if they enemy is microscopic and just as deadly as an atomic bomb?
http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=page/district-by-district-impact-of-republican-medicare-plan-and-medicaid-cuts
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/30/980594/-Obama-Justice-Department-sides-with-states-in-Medicaid-case
The last Democrat to be on the side of the poor was Carter.
I will never again vote for Obama, enemy to the poor, BFF to the top 2%. Who needs Republicans when you have most of the current Democrats to cause untold suffering and death to the poor, the invisible people who don't count at all to them.
Sanders/Kucinich in 2012!!!
We both know BOTH sides will tear him apart if he runs....too "socialist" even for the Dems.
BTW....I know what will happen if and when they take away medicines from certain mental patients. Those who are in treatment and want to stay OUT of trouble.
But, without the meds, there are no guarantees they (me included) are able to behave themselves.
--------------------------------------------------------
Game plan:
Turn America into an oligarchy with a lot of slave type labor.
Save the fetuses....even spend some money on prematurity, etc.
Have all the able bodied adults work as wage slaves with few benefits.
Lock away "imperfect" (severely disabled) kids if the parents can't raise them.
Allow disabled adults and senior citizens to die off from lack of decent health care because they are worthless to society.
****The Repugs are obvious, the Dems still show a TINY amount of conscience about doing this.
I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.