Congressman Davis, Trotter, Flowers urge fight to restore State Medicaid cuts

Davis,Trotter, Flowers urge fight to restore state Medicaid cuts

Poor falling through cracks caught by Obamacare

By Chinta Strausberg

The proposed cuts from the Illinois Medicaid budget that include eliminating state coverage for 9,160 general assistance adults, cutting dental care for adults except for extractions but banning anesthesia, ending service to diabetics fo radult podiatry care and other reductions were labeled “draconian” “egregious”and “devastating,” by Senator Donne E. Trotter (D-17^th) who Monday said people must organize and fight for their restorations.

Trotter, who attended a meeting at Josephine’s Cooking Restaurant, 436 E. 79^thSt., was joined by Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7^th),  Lt. Governor hopeful attorney Brunell Donald-Kyei, health advocate Joyce Washington, Rev. Walter Johnson, and several community leaders. Davis, who gave an update on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also said it is time for a national health insurance system but stressed people, must collectively act as one in demanding arestoration of these state Medicaid budget cuts.

Davis spoke at a meeting called by Josephine Wade, owner of the restaurant, who was concerned about the lack of computer access for seniors and poor people in signing up for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) better known as Obamacare. Davis explained “Everybody who is low-income is not on Medicaid or does not quality for Medicaid. They can be slightly above Medicaid but don’t earn enough money to be on food stamps and don’t earn enough money to take care of their basic necessities of life. If you don’t have a payment source for healthcare, then you got to sign up for the Obamacare,” said Davis.

“The reason they built these marketplaces you can go…like health co-ops… is because all of these people fall through the cracks,” he explained. “In Cook County they get consumed by the Cook County health services. In other places in Illinois and throughout the nation, they get nothing. They still have to be responsible and if they get sick somebody has to take care of them. If they go to the emergency room, that cost would be more than seeing a primary care doctor.”

Cook County was able to get a waiver to provide Medicaid services.” He said the County was able to sign up more than 100,000 people before October began.

While the ACA application process is improving and upon learning about the state’s cuts to the Medicaid program, Davis asked if those reductions were based on the ACA.

Quoting Gov. Quinn, Trotter said of the ACA, “the governor says everybody’s in, nobody is left out, but what kind of services are they being let in for”? “What we don’t know is what is ACA going to give to these folks. What we do know is that it does not give them dental care….”

Davis joined Trotter in urging people to “advocate, be aggressive and organize ‘ in order to get these state Medicaid budget cuts restored. Trotter said the ball is in the court of House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. “It’s his call,” said Trotter. Referring to the cuts in the general assistance program for adults that affect 9,160 clients, Trotter said, “They now have no health care. We got rid of $16 million out of a budget of a $17 billion Medicaid budget that with matching federal funds is $35 billion.” He questioned the proposed $16,681.300 savings by eliminating state coverage for all general assistance adults.

Saying it is difficult to organize during the election, Davis urged the group focus on the cuts and demand the restoration and to begin their lobbying now.

Referring to his bill, HB 1516 which recently passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote,Trotter said the legislation is currently being carried in the House by Rep. Mary E.Flowers (D-31^st) who is fighting to get the bill out of the House Rules Committee and on the floor for a vote. “This bill needs to be called,”said Trotter. “We go back into session at the end of January.

“This is a bill that needs to be called now. We have six-more months left in this calendar year.  These dollars were cut out of the FY13 budgets. Already, we have lost six-months because the budget starts July 1^st,” said Trotter.  “We need to reinstate these dollars so we can reinstitute the seservices for the next six-months.” “This bill can be resurrected and passed…. It’s not dead.” Joyce Washington said it’s also a matter of prevention.

“California eliminated their dental plan only to find out that their costs doubled,” he said. Trotter, whose bill to reinstate the dental service into the Medicaid programwas passed three-weeks ago “but is now stuck in the House,” said people should not only call their legislators but also House Speaker Michael J. Madigan whocan be reached at 773.581.8000 or in Springfield, 217.782.5350.

Calling for the repeal of the Save Medicaid Access and Resources Together (SMART) Act that called for the massive Medicaid cuts, Flowers said, “It wasn’t very smart. It didn’t do anything it was supposed to do. It denied people their prescription drugs, lives and money. It doesn’t work.”

Flowers, who was detained by a previous meeting, later explained that she has introduced a bill to restore the cuts from the SMART Act, which was passed in the last session.“These cuts affect anyone on Medicaid and most states have reinstated the services but no states has made as many cuts as the state of Illinois,” said Flowers.

She said HB 1516 is the vehicle bill (calling for the restoration of the dental service that was taken out during the Smart Act) “which we found during theveto session to put the language on it that is Donne’s bill. He was successful in getting the bill out, and I picked it up in the House. Unfortunately, the bill was not called in the veto session, but we hope it will become law when wego back in January and adults will be able to again get their dental care.”

Referring to the cuts in dental care for people on Medicaid and her warnings to Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos, Flowers said, “I told her that there is no emergency dentist in the emergency room. It cost $6,000 for a patient to go to an emergency room where as it may cost $100 plus to go to a dentist office.”

Flowers said her peers cut the dental care program to save money, but what they did is to cause people to spend more money unnecessarily add unfortunately it has cost some people their lives because they have not been able to get the necessary treatment they need,” she said referring to some who were unable to get their dialysis treatment.

“The doctors are concerned about the blood transfusion they give if there is an open wound or an infection in their mouth. That same blood can infect their body and cause their death. That is the reason why before a diabetic gets any type of podiatry treatment or dialysis treatment they have to have their dental work done”

Explaining, she said, “They have to make sure there are no open sores or gingivitis or disease from the mouth that could spread to the rest of the body and kill them.”

A lot of the services were cut during the Smart Act. Those cuts were not very smart because it’s costing the state a lot more money. That is why Cook County Jail is so overcrowded now because people who are sick with mental illness…not because they belong in jail but because they could not get access to their prescription drugs,” Flowers said.

Referring to HB3671, Flowers said it limits the amount of drugs a person can get. “The state is limiting you to only have four drugs even though your doctor says itis medically necessary you need all six. These cuts have been very negative especially to African American and poor people. That is why the ACA is very important. They will no able to discriminate.  People will have access to health care. They will no longer be delayed or denied because they can’t afford to pay,” she said.

Flowers said now people on Medicaid are going to Cook County Hospital, but after January 1^st, those same single people with no kids who signed up” on a waiver who never had health care before and were unable to get prescription drugs will be under the ACA and will be able to get access to their prescription drugs. “We still need to reinstate the dental services.

She joined Trotter and Davis in demanding restoration for these bills including Gov. Pat Quinn.  “The bill is really neutral. There is a cost savings. Since this was Julie Hamos idea, they should call the governor’s office. The reason why the Speaker hasn’t made these cuts is because we’re still going through the budgetary process.

“”These were cuts made under the pretext of saving money, but it didn’t save money. It cost money. We have to make sure the money is there….” Trotter said eliminating dental services for adults except for emergency care is supposedly saving the state $35,428.200 out of a $17 billion Medicaid budget, which with the government’s matching funds amounts to $35 billion.

“They can call the governor, the Speaker’s office and Julie Hamos’ offices need to be called and “demand that the bill be passed so it can become law so they can get access to dental care they need to save their lives.”

“I am working on restoring the other cuts. They should call and say the Smart Act should be eliminated and that would cover everything. They should say the Smart Act should be repealed,” said Flowers.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.