| The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 uses the vehicle | | | | back 5 years. How do we expect an elderly citizen to |
| chosen to impose the most regressive changes to the | | | | remember the purpose of a deposit or withdrawal that |
| Medicaid program since its creation in 1965, as a part | | | | occurred many years ago? Failure to remember could |
| of what President Johnson called "The Great Society". | | | | result in a denial of necessary medical care. |
| Medicaid grew to be the major provider of long term | | | | Consider a grandparent who pays tuition for a |
| care for our aged, blind and disabled. | | | | grandchild's college. Tuition costs are high. The |
| Faced with increased costs it was decided to stop the | | | | so-called deficit reduction act requires that the |
| growth and change the eligibility standards and claim | | | | effective date of a gift is not when the gift was made |
| this to be a deficit reduction effort. That designation is | | | | which could have been 4 or 5 years ago, but rather |
| fictional because the 2005 Federal Budget increased | | | | the date the application to Medicaid for nursing home |
| the deficit to the highest level in our nation's history. | | | | care. This grandparent could be denied Medicaid |
| The 2005 budget as have previous budgets provide | | | | because of a tuition payment made, years before. |
| enormous sums for "humanitarian" aid to foreign | | | | Our obligations to our elderly population are not met by |
| nations. This aid includes food, shelter and medical care. | | | | attempting to deprive them of long term medical care. |
| Not surprisingly is that these are not "means tested" | | | | To those who say that the elderly need only prove |
| programs like Medicaid. There are few if any | | | | that the gift was not for the purpose of getting |
| restrictions placed on humanitarian aid. We must then | | | | Medicaid, I answer, why should such a person have to |
| question whether Americans are less worthy of | | | | go through a legal proceeding, namely a Fair Hearing to |
| humanitarian aid then the citizens of 3rd world | | | | prove the purpose of a 5 year old gift. |
| countries. | | | | The so called Deficit Reduction Act also seeks to |
| We don't read reports of the overseas aid going to | | | | punish the elderly, because of the rise of real estate |
| unworthy people who don't really need it. Those | | | | values over the past decade. If home equity exceeds |
| reports are limited to humanitarian aid to Americans. | | | | $500,000 , the owner becomes ineligible for nursing |
| There is no doubt that in any major aid program, there | | | | home care. Our senior citizens don't control real estate |
| will be abuses, but the bulk of aid goes where is | | | | values. It is not appropriate to punish our seniors |
| belongs. When we focus only on the abuses, we | | | | because our economy flourished and real estate |
| make changes that effect everyone as though they | | | | values rose. |
| were an abuser. I question our priorities when we label | | | | Knowing that many senior buy annuities to obtain a |
| our parents, our veterans, our teachers and our elderly | | | | "safe" income stream, those who oppose Medicaid |
| population as abusers, because they access needed | | | | benefits, now require that any annuity purchased name |
| medical care. These are the people who help shape | | | | Medicaid as the ultimate beneficiary. This is to prevent |
| this nation. They were givers. Now when they need to | | | | a senior citizen from leaving an inheritance to a loved |
| be a taker, we are willing to turn our backs. Where are | | | | one. |
| our priorities? | | | | The real question raised by the so called Deficit |
| The so called Deficit Reduction Act, has created a 5 | | | | Reduction Act is what has happened to our priorities. |
| year look back period for anyone applying for nursing | | | | Have we allowed Medicaid expenditures to blind us to |
| home care. Medicaid will now demand the applicant to | | | | the contributions to this nation made by the seniors we |
| produce 5 years of financial records. How many | | | | now seek to punish because they got old and sick. If |
| people maintain 5 years of financial records? You may | | | | we spend a lot on the Medicaid care of our seniors, |
| have to pay a bank to get your copies. We know that | | | | then we should do so gladly, because these are the |
| with all the bank mergers, many of the banks within | | | | people who took care of us, and now need us to take |
| the 5 year period no longer exist. Their records may | | | | care of them. |
| not be available. Even if records are obtained, Medicaid | | | | The medical care of our senior citizens is the last place |
| will question particular deposits and withdrawals going | | | | we should look to reduce our growing budget deficit. |