By Linda K. Light
Arizona is trying to balance their budget on the backs of the poor.
Early Friday morning, April 1, around 3 a.m. MST, the Arizona State House of Representatives approved a state budget for the next fiscal year that includes an additional $47 million in cuts from the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). DES includes healthcare services and other assistance to low-income families and single adults under 65 without dependent children, domestic violence victims, the homeless, the elderly, and the mentally and physically disabled. This agency already suffered huge budget cuts this current fiscal year that included organ transplants for the indigent. That left 96 people due to receive organ transplants on the state program without the means to pay for these badly needed and expensive operations and after care. The organ transplant program has been restored in next year’s budget. But who knows how many can wait that long or will even be alive by then. One person in the program has already lost an opportunity for an organ because when one became available, he did not have the money to pay for it out of his own pocket, nor have health insurance that would cover it. So the organ was given instead to someone else who had the money or health insurance to pay for the operation.
I spoke with Rep. Katie Hobbs (D) Friday morning, and she said, “The budget did not pass until 3 a.m. this morning. The legislature was in session all night long. No Democrats were allowed any input, only Republicans. No time was given to read the final budget before it was presented and voted on, so no one could really see who would be impacted.” She asked me who my representatives were, and I told her David Smith (R)) and Heather Carter (R). She told me they both voted for the budget. I will NOT be voting them back in next term should they choose to seek re-election.
Later on Friday afternoon, around 3:30 p.m. the state budget was passed by the State Senate in the same way. Rushed through along partisan lines.
This tactic of presenting a bill and then voting on it almost immediately or within a very short time has been used before to pass bills in the U.S. Congress as well. It seems to me that usually there are things hidden in the bill that the opposition party would oppose and argue against had they been given a chance. But time for argument or discussion before the final vote is not allowed. Instead it is deliberately skipped over. Time is not given to even read the bill before the vote. Sometimes I think it is used to hide things that some legislators do not want the public to become aware of until it is too late to say anything, because they know the public would object to it.
Speaking from personal experience, not all people receiving assistance are defrauding the system. Many cannot afford healthcare on their own, nor purchase healthcare insurance. Many general practice physicians, not specialists, charge as much as $100-200 per visit full price. That cost does not include lab tests or medicines. That is just the price to see the doctor. I’ve read where some state legislators think poor people who get bumped off the state’s Medicaid program, AHCCCS, should go to the emergency room for any kind of illness or treatment instead. Hospitals are not allowed to turn anyone away if they come to the emergency room. But these hospitals will still send a bill to that person even if they have no insurance or money to pay for it. If the patient does not come up with the means to pay the bill, eventually the bill will be sent to a collection agency, and it will show up on the person’s credit report as well. Multiple daily phone calls from the collection agency as well as mail start coming in. The patient may be unemployed and trying very hard to get a job, or just barely have enough income to keep a roof over their heads and the electricity on, but not pay for the bill. Single adults without dependent children under the age of 65 (too young to be covered by Medicare) is one group that is under consideration from being dropped from the program. Just because an adult doesn’t have children in the home to take care of doesn’t mean they can all afford health care.
Yesterday I read on CNN’s web site where the U.S. House of Representatives will be presented with next year’s budget Tuesday, April 5, that will include cuts to Medicaid for the federal budget, and pass the costs along to the states, who are already struggling with their budgets.
I guess the poor are supposed to just die if they get seriously injured or ill, because they can’t afford health care like the wealthier can. Churches and other charitable organizations that provide free healthcare to the poor are struggling financially, too.
