[Vision2020] Health and Welfare

[lfalen]

I agree with you that we should not be cutting services to the mentally ill. To do so to those that are veterans is particularly obnoxious. Ther are a lot of administrative areas and people that can be cut at the state level and at the UI. Lets not cut those that do the work.
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: "Saundra Lund" v2020 at ssl.fastmail.fm
Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:53:40 -0700
To: "'ringoshirl'" ringoshirl at moscow.com,  vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Health and Welfare

> Hi Shirley,
> 
>  
> 
> In part, you wrote:
> 
> "The bottom line:  don't believe anyone in the legislature who says there
> were no choices.  We had choices, didn't make them, and now people are
> paying the price."
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you so much for making that point.  There were lots of different
> options that could have been taken, and while none were perfect, any would
> have been preferable to increasing the burden on the most disadvantaged
> among us.
> 
>  
> 
> As a former H&W employee back in the 1990s, I have first-hand experience
> with the dire hardship these office closures will pass along to those Idaho
> citizens who happen to need the services of H&W.  This non-resolution
> literally makes me ill.
> 
>  
> 
> At a time when Idaho's economy is in the toilet and more good people than
> ever need a helping hand, it is flatly immoral, IMHO, for the legislature to
> have wasted its time, energy, and resources on pure crap rather than taking
> action to keep from erecting barriers to much needed services that can make
> the difference between eating and going hungry, between getting a child's
> ear infection treated and that child losing his/her hearing, between a newly
> unemployed diabetic getting help applying for Medicaid to keep up with
> his/her health care to be able to return to employment when there are jobs
> available and letting that person fall through the cracks never to be
> employed again, between child protective workers having a presence in
> communities where they are desperately needed as prevention and protectors
> and going back to blind eyes being turned left and right to abuse and
> neglect, etc.
> 
>  
> 
> In a very real sense, in addition to "laying off" over 100 overworked H&W
> employees, these office closures will have the very real effect of making
> services inaccessible, delayed, and ineffective to those who need them the
> most.
> 
>  
> 
> I don't think those effects can be looked at as "unintended consequences."
> They can, however, be looked at as "heartless."
> 
>  
> 
> But, perhaps that was the intention of some in the legislature from the
> beginning . . . I certainly wouldn't put it beyond those heartless
> so-and-sos.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for all your hard work!
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Saundra Lund
> 
> Moscow, ID
> 
>  
> 
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
> nothing.
> 
> ~ Edmund Burke
> 
>  
> 
> ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2010 through life plus
> 70 years, Saundra Lund.  Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside
> the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the
> author.*****
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
> On Behalf Of ringoshirl
> Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 9:26 AM
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] Health and Welfare
> 
>  
> 
> Visionaries:
> 
>  
> 
> Bob Huntley, a spectacular individual who ran for Governor in 1998, told me
> that when he served in the Idaho legislature the Joint Finance and
> Appropriations Committee would communicate with the Revenue and Taxation
> Committee when there was a need for more revenues.  I have always thought
> that would be appropriate, but the system doesn't work like that anymore.
> The majority party on the JFAC committee may moan a bit about lack of
> revenues, but they certainly wouldn't advocate for any increase at all.
> 
>  
> 
> My colleagues and I put forth a number of proposals to help with revenue.
> Some included such things as delaying implementation of consolidated
> elections ($4 million), delaying reduction of the insurance premium tax
> ($6.7 million), freezing build-up of the grocery tax credit except for very
> low income levels ($9.4 million).  You may recall that Judy Brown and I
> proposed an income tax surcharge for those making over $50,000 TAXABLE
> INCOME.  ($40 million)  All of the above were ignored by majority party
> members.
> 
>  
> 
> But there is something even worse, in my opinion.  At the beginning of the
> session, it was not clear whether the feds would renew increased
> reimbursement rates for Medicaid.  (FMAP)  There was a pot of money in the
> Millineum Fund that was set aside to cover in case those rates weren't
> approved.  (about $73 million)  When it became clear that the feds WERE
> going to re-approve those enhanced rates, my colleagues and I on JFAC
> proposed that we use about $30 million of the $73 million to address
> critical needs.  We proposed using $20 million for Medicaid, which at the
> 80%-20% federal match rate would have been significant.  We were not allowed
> to bring it up because it was not officially on the agenda.  That was true,
> but even thought it was late in the session, another meeting could have been
> scheduled the next day.  Note also that a message was sent to the Governor's
> office, asking if he would support the idea, and his response was negative.
> 
>  
> 
> The bottom line:  don't believe anyone in the legislature who says there
> were no choices.  We had choices, didn't make them, and now people are
> paying the price.
> 
>  
> 
> Representative Shirley Ringo
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
>