Thread: Illinois kicks senoirs off mediaid - keeps illegal immigrants - The true Agenda?

Read all of the stories and get the BIG PICTURE.

So much for the Democrats that say the Republicans are going to cut American citizen seniors off Medicare and medicaid. Obamacare call for 500 billion to be cut from seniors to be "redistributed to illegals". Killing seniors? It seems Illinois Democrats can't wait. JMO

Quinn signs $2.7B Medicaid cuts, cigarette tax

Updated at 09:45 AM May 14, 2012
The Chicago Democrat signed five bills, including a tax increase on cigarettes of $1 per pack and $1.6 billion in Medicaid spending reductions.

"One of our most important missions in Springfield this year was to save Medicaid from the brink of collapse," Gov. Quinn said in a statement. "I applaud the members of our working group and of the General Assembly, who worked together in a bipartisan manner to tackle a grave crisis."

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The cuts will mean leaner services for the state's 2.7 million Medicaid patients. More than 25,000 working parents will lose state-funded insurance coverage.
Opponents of the legislation have said the cuts will decrease access to health services and hurt the poor, elderly and disabled.

Illinois is eliminating extras such as regular dental care for adults. Medicaid will no longer cover visits to chiropractors and only people with diabetes can see podiatrists.

Eyeglasses will be limited to one pair every two years. Prior state approval will be required for wheelchair repairs, heart bypass surgery and obesity surgery. Patients will be limited to four prescription drugs per month without prior approval.
The cuts end a program called Illinois Cares Rx that helped nearly 200,000 senior citizens with prescription drug costs.

Investor-owned hospitals got a new tax break in the legislation, and nonprofit hospitals, which were in jeopardy of losing valuable property tax exemptions because of an Illinois Supreme Court ruling, won a broad definition of charity care that will allow them to avoid paying property taxes.

Cook County's health system gained a clear path to federal matching money in an early Medicaid expansion tied to President Barack Obama's federal health care overhaul.

Quinn signs $2.7B Medicaid cuts, cigarette tax | abc7chicago.com

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General Assembly green lights cuts to Medicaid

May 25, 2012 10:15 am • Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD — Hundreds of thousands of people would see their health care cut back or even eliminated under legislation approved Thursday by Illinois lawmakers in a desperate attempt to repair the state’s crumbling budget.

The Medicaid cuts include ending a prescription drug program for senior citizens, halting two programs that provide health insurance for about 35,000 people and restricting access to services from heart-bypass operations to wheelchair repairs.
Opponents said the cuts will mean suffering and death for some of the 2.7 million people who get care under Medicaid.

“I’m begging you, representative, for the life of the people who are going to die as a result of this legislation. I’m begging you. Please, let us do something different,” Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, said to the measure’s sponsor.

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, said the Medicaid program will fall apart without fast action. Helping the state’s poor in the long run requires cutting back now, she said.

“I know it seems ironic, but this is the only way we can accomplish that,” Feigenholtz said.

Republican state Reps. Bill Mitchell of Forsyth and Adam Brown of Decatur were the lone GOP members of the House to vote against the Medicaid cuts.

Mitchell said he doesn’t believe the proposal does enough to ensure that illegal immigrants are removed from the Medicaid rolls. He said that’s unfair when the proposal eliminates funding for a prescription drug program that helps senior citizens.

“Are illegals still in here? Through the All Kids program, yes. This cuts senior Rx, and illegals are still in there. That was the deal for me,” Mitchell said.

The measure passed 94-22 and went to the Senate, where it was approved on a 44-13 vote. The next stop is the desk of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who supports the proposal.

It’s part of a package meant to fill a Medicaid shortfall of $2.7 billion, or nearly $1 in every $5 the program spends.


Service cuts would save about $1.3 billion. Payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other Medicaid providers would be trimmed by an additional $240 million. In a separate bill, lawmakers will consider more than doubling the state cigarette tax to bring in more money.

Republican opposition has left the outcome of the tax vote in doubt.

But House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said Thursday evening that the depth of Medicaid cuts had convinced some of his colleagues to agree to the cigarette tax increase. “I think you’ll see a complete package pass,” Cross said.
Brown sees a possibility of his support.

“I think the Medicaid cuts were a good start, but this is all bundled with a cigarette tax and a waiver allowing Cook County to expand its Medicaid roles. I could not vote in favor of the whole package,” Brown said.

State Sen. Dale Righter, a leader on Medicaid issues for Senate Republicans, said he doubted any of his GOP colleagues would support the tax increase. If the tax doesn’t pass, Democrats would be forced to return to the bargaining table to consider more spending cuts, he said.

The package addresses one of the two huge problems facing state officials during the spring legislative session. The other, controlling the rising cost of government pensions, is still the subject of intense negotiations and pressures.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said Thursday that he won’t go along with a proposal to cut pension costs by raising the retirement age to 67. He told The Associated Press that the change would violate the Illinois Constitution’s ban on lowering pension benefits that already have been promised.

Madigan said he wants to move forward with requiring downstate and suburban school districts to pay the pension costs of their teachers instead of leaving it to the state. He said he wants to phase in that change.

And even when both pensions and Medicaid are behind them, legislators still will have to pass a state budget full of grim cuts.

Illinois Medicaid costs have climbed dramatically, thanks to increasing demand in a rough economy and rising health costs in general. The state is months behind on paying the doctors, hospitals and nursing homes that provide care under Medicaid, and the program takes up scarce dollars that could be used for other important services, such as education or public safety.

In February, Quinn called for legislators to fill a $2.7 billion shortfall or face the possibility that the program would collapse entirely. Quinn applauded the General Assembly for Thursday’s actions.

“This is the first step toward saving Medicaid for those that rely upon it,” Quinn said, while also urging quick action on raising the cigarette tax.

The Medicaid legislation would eliminate Illinois Cares Rx, a program that helps nearly 200,000 seniors pay for prescription drugs, to save about $72 million.

“If they cut it out, it’s going to hurt a lot of us seniors. If we can’t get the medications, we die,” said retired Evanston resident Martha McDonald, who takes five prescription medications and pays less than $15 a month for them because of the program. “They’re helping these young girls having babies, why not the seniors?”

Medicaid pays for more than half the childbirths in Illinois and nearly 94 percent of births to teenage mothers.

The plan includes new efforts to weed out people in the program who don’t meet the proper guidelines. That is supposed to save $350 million.


The bill includes changes as small as saving $150,000 by giving nursing home residents only seven days’ worth of medicine at a time, instead of 30 days’ worth. The reason? Longer prescriptions mean more medicine goes to waste when residents die.

Medicaid clients also would be required to get prior approval for all wheelchair repairs, which is supposed to save $800,000.

Another provision sets a limit of four on the number of prescriptions Medicaid will cover unless recipients get special permission. It’s supposed to save $180 million a year.

The change worries Jessica Patrick, who now takes three medications for epileptic seizures, bipolar disorder and heartburn. She spent 15 years living in a nursing home and said the medications, properly managed, allow her to live on her own in an apartment.

“Medicaid isn’t paying for the things we need to keep us healthy,” said Patrick, a 32-year-old Chicago resident.

Both legislative chambers also approved a measure that will let Cook County collect federal matching funds for medical care it already provides to 100,000 low-income people. The legislation doesn’t increase state costs, but some Republicans were opposed because it involved early adoption of a provision of President Barack Obama’s new federal health care law.
The bill is Senate Bill 2840.

General Assembly green lights cuts to Medicaid : Herald & Review | Local news from Decatur, Macon County and Central Illinois

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What is All Kids?

All Kids is Illinois program for children who need comprehensive, affordable health insurance, regardless of family income, immigration status or health condition. Every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy. With All Kids, your children will be able to get the care they need, when they need it. It means you can take your child to the doctor for a regular check-up, to the dentist to fill a cavity or to the eye doctor to get a prescription for glasses.

To date, there are over 1.5 million Illinois children enrolled in All Kids. If your family, like many hardworking families, cannot afford private health insurance, All Kids may be the answer for you.

Read on for more answers to questions about All Kids or review the All Kids Booklet (pdf).

What does All Kids Cover?

All Kids is complete health insurance for your child. All Kids covers doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care, dental care and eyeglasses. All Kids covers regular check-ups and immunizations (shots). All Kids also covers special services like medical equipment, speech therapy and physical therapy for children who need them.

Who can get All Kids?
Children can get All Kids health insurance if:

• They live in Illinois.
• They are age 18 or younger.
• They meet the insurance requirements.

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Illionois kept the All Kids Program. from the All Kids website

Healthcare for All Kids.

All Kids has two programs for pregnant women:

• Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility (MPE) offers immediate, temporary coverage for outpatient healthcare for pregnant women.
• Moms & Babies covers healthcare for women while they are pregnant and for 60 days after the baby is born. Moms & Babies covers both outpatient healthcare and inpatient hospital care, including delivery.

These two programs give pregnant women the care they need to keep their babies healthy. You can apply for both programs at the same time. If you are eligible, MPE will cover you for pregnancy care starting the day you apply until your Moms & Babies application is reviewed. Please continue reading to get more information about healthcare for pregnant women.
Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility (MPE) Program

What is MPE?

MPE is a program for pregnant women. MPE offers immediate, temporary coverage for outpatient health services to pregnant women who meet income requirements. There are no co-payments or premiums in MPE.
How do I get MPE?

You must go to an MPE provider. The MPE provider will decide if you can get MPE. To get MPE, the provider must verify that you are pregnant and you must tell the provider your family's gross monthly income. If you are pregnant and meet the income requirements for MPE, you can get MPE.

• You do not have to be a citizen or a legal immigrant to get MPE.
  
• You do not have to have a Social Security number to get MPE.

How do I know if my doctor or clinic is an MPE provider? If I don't have a doctor or clinic, how can I find an MPE provider? If you have a doctor or clinic, ask the office staff if the doctor or clinic is an MPE provider. If your doctor or clinic is not an MPE provider, or if you do not have a doctor or clinic, call the All Kids Hotline at 1-866-255-5437. A Hotline representative will help you find an MPE provider where you live.
How long does it take to get MPE?

If the MPE provider verifies that you are pregnant and you meet the income requirements for MPE, you can get services right away. That means you can get services the same day you sign the application if the MPE provider says you are eligible.

Moms & Babies Programs for Pregnant Women

REP. MITCHELL VOTES AGAINST SENIOR HEALTH CARE CUTS 05/26/12

The Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation that will cut $1.6 billion from the State’s Medicaid program, while adding 100,000 Cook County residents to the Medicaid rolls. State Representative Bill Mitchell (R-Forsyth) voted against the Medicaid proposals, citing the fact that the legislation cuts health care services for seniors while allowing illegal immigrants to continue to receive welfare benefits.

“I asked a simple question: ‘Are illegal immigrants still receiving welfare benefits?’ The answer is yes. The Chicago Democrats refuse to kick illegals off our welfare rolls, but they are slashing health care services for senior citizens. That made my decision to vote ‘No’ an easy one,” said Mitchell.

Senate Bill 2840 contains the Medicaid cuts, including the elimination of the Illinois Cares Rx program, which provides prescription drug coverage for 180,000 Illinois seniors. Seniors on fixed incomes of less than $16,000 will lose their drug coverage. Community care and in-home care programs also face severe cuts, resulting in the loss of services for thousands of seniors across the state.

“These cuts will decimate prescription drug coverage for seniors,” Mitchell said. “The Governor’s staff is saying that many seniors on Illinois Cares Rx could switch to Medicare Part D coverage. But again, from the numbers I’ve seen, less than half of those seniors would be eligible for Medicare Part D. The other half would lose their drug coverage altogether. This will truly force seniors to choose between food and medicine.”

Mitchell has been a long-time critic of welfare benefits for illegal immigrants. According to Mitchell, while the Democrat-controlled General Assembly cut $1.6 billion from Medicaid and senior services, they refused to discuss potential savings from limiting welfare to Illinois citizens.

“The numbers I’ve seen indicate that the cost to Illinois taxpayers for illegal immigrants on welfare is at least $75 million annually, and that’s a very conservative estimate,” Mitchell said. “We need real welfare reform, including the elimination of benefits for illegals, to get spending under control.”
Mitchell added that he voted against the so-called Obamacare expansion for Cook County, contained in House Bill 5007.
Decatur Tribune

Illinois prescription cuts hitting Metro East seniors hard

BY KEVIN MCDERMOTT • Post-Dispatch dispatch.com
Thursday, June 14, 2012 12:15 am


Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign massive health care cuts for low-income older people approved by the Legislature. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

UPDATE Thursday June 14, 9:24 a.m.: Gov. Quinn signed the cuts into effect this morning. (See story)

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. • "We regret to inform you," begins a notice being sent to about 180,000 low-income older people around Illinois this week, telling them their state-augmented medical prescription coverage will be cut at the end of this month.

The reaction from those recipients isn't just regret, but outright panic.

"Most of the remarks are, 'They want us to die. They're trying to kill us,' " said Jan Manns, community services supervisor for Madison County Catholic Charities.

Her organization and others have been getting panicked feedback from state health care recipients since the cutoff notices began going out last Friday. "It's shocking to hear ...but I can understand why they think that."

The notices are part of Illinois' massive cuts to Medicaid and other health care services, approved by the Legislature this spring and expected to be signed into law soon by Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Those cuts include total elimination of the Illinois Cares Rx program, a state program that provides prescription coverage for low-income older people and those on disability.

"We regret to inform you that the Illinois Cares Rx program is ending June 30, 2012," states the letter from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), which administers Medicaid and other health care coverage in Illinois. "Due to Illinois state budget reductions, funding for the program is being eliminated. This means beginning July 1, 2012, Illinois Cares Rx will no longer help you pay for your prescription drugs."

Without that coverage, say Metro East advocates for the elderly, there's a real danger that some seniors will simply do without crucial medication.

"They really are making a choice between medicine and eating," said Jamie Lemon of Christian HomeCare Services Inc., of Lebanon. "It's thrown our older adults into a panic. It's a very real fear."

The fact that the notice is coming by form letters to recipients less than a month from the cutoff date has added to the problem.

"When most seniors get that letter, it's confusion. They really don't understand the ramifications," said John Becker, executive director at Senior Services Plus of Alton, the largest provider of senior assistance in Southern Illinois.

"They're totally confused. There's a lot of panic ... For a lot of people on (Illinois Cares Rx), this is a huge chunk of their medicine bill."

The program elimination is part of $1.6 billion in cuts the Legislature approved this spring to Medicaid and other health care coverage, at the behest of Quinn.
In addition to ending the Illinois Cares Rx program, the cuts will scale back the services offered through Medicaid, the $15 billion state-federal program that serves about 2.7 million low-income or disabled Illinoisans.

Among the changes are:

• Reducing the Medicaid base income eligibility level of adults to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, down from the previous base of 185 percent. That change will write about 26,000 Medicaid recipients out of the program. Letters to those recipients went out Friday.

• Limiting patients who are on prescription services under Medicaid to four prescription drugs per month without prior approval.

• Imposing new restrictions on some services. Eyeglasses will be limited to one pair every two years; there was previously no limit. Prior state approval will be required for wheelchair repairs. Heart bypass surgery and obesity surgery also will require prior state approval.

• Eliminating chiropractic and podiatry services.

• Lowering state reimbursement rates to hospitals that serve Medicaid recipients

SHORT NOTICE

Many have expressed shock particularly at the short notice in the letters to recipients. Telling recipients their services will end in three weeks or less is creating "a lot of panic and a lot of confusion," said Theresa Collins, director of the community care program for Senior Services Plus.

Even so, HFS is technically jumping the gun by giving even as much notice as it has, because Quinn had not formally signed the cuts into law as of Wednesday.

"If these changes are taking effect as of July 1, we do have to get the word out," said HFS spokesman Mike Claffey. "We're operating under the assumption it will be signed and take effect July 1. If it doesn't, obviously we'll have some backtracking to do."

There's little chance Quinn won't sign the cuts after fighting to get them approved by the General Assembly. Bringing Medicaid and health care costs under control was one of his two top agenda items going into this year, along with state employee pension reforms that are still pending.

Quinn went into this year declaring that major scale-backs of the state's health care and government employee pension systems were needed to prevent both debt-ridden systems from collapsing. Fighting many of his fellow Democrats in Springfield on the issue, Quinn last month called the cuts a "rescue operation" for Medicaid.

'SAVE THE PEOPLE'

Manns, of Madison County Catholic Charities, said her organization expects its prescription program, currently serving 580 clients from its Alton and Granite City offices, to grow by about 400 as seniors move off the state program and look for new help. She worries more about those who simply stop filling their prescriptions.

"I can understand wanting to save the program, but we have to save the people in the program," she said.

Claudia Dunlap, 74, of East Alton, learned from a social worker Wednesday that her Illinois Cares Rx coverage will end this month. "It's terrible," she said.

The program had covered her premiums for phenobarbital to treat epileptic seizures, Pravastatin for cardiac disease and prescription-strength vitamin D2 for bone problems. She isn't sure how much she will have to pay in the absence of it, but she recalls one month when she wasn't covered and had to pay the bill out of pocket. "They said, '$171.' I almost passed out.

"They're killing us," she added. "Honey, I'm 74. The body is going. All these years we supported our government, and now this. What do they expect us to do?"

Read more: Illinois prescription cuts hitting Metro East seniors hard

Despite Emergency Funding, State Child Care Money Still In Jeopardy
May 24th, 2012,






Gov. Pat Quinn successfully worked with state lawmakers to route emergency funding toward child-care providers for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. But the governor secured the votes needed by extending the wait period for low-income parents to get cash payments from the state.

Also, Quinn’s proposed budget for next fiscal year, which the state legislature is supposed to pass a version of by next week, would make almost $85 million in permanent cuts to child-care providers. This is much to the chagrin of child-care providers who just got done lobbying for the emergency funding.

Under the Quinn budget, which the Illinois Senate is debating this week, the child-care savings are largely realized by raising the bar for which families are eligible from those 185 percent above the federal poverty level, or about $42,000 in yearly earnings for a family of four, to families 150 percent above the federal poverty level, or $34,000 in yearly earnings for a family of four.

“There is a wide range of families who are still struggling, but according to the state they’re not poor enough,” said Xavier Salvado, director of youth services at Gads Hill, a group that provides child-care on Chicago’s South Side.

Salvado joined a rally in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood today put on by child-care providers. Flanked by children chanting, “What do we want? Child-care! When do we need it? Now!” the providers called on parents to phone Quinn's office with their concerns – and requested that Quinn meet with providers.

“We urge Gov. Quinn to come here to our communities and meet Pilsen families,” said Rebecca Estrada, executive director of El Hogar Del Nino, a Pilsen community group. “If the governor gets out of his office and comes here, he might better understand that cutting child care funding is a bad idea.”

With Springfield scheduled to pass a state budget plus major cuts in Medicaid and pensions by next Thursday, Quinn’s chances of a Pilsen appearance look slim.

However, the governor did lecture Oak Park school children Tuesday about the virtues of fiscal austerity.

Child-care advocates are pivoting to the proposed next fiscal year budget just six days after Quinn signed a bill that reinstates $73 million for child-care reimbursements for the 40,000 providers across the state that serve a total of 85,000 families.

The emergency measure followed the Illinois Department of Human Services informing providers that the state was out of child care money – the $73 million was taken from unspent money elsewhere in the budget.

But in order for the legislation to clear the General Assembly by a large bipartisan margin, Quinn agreed to a separate bill that extends the wait period for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF applicants.

Instead of waiting 30 days after their application, the low-income parents who get TANF would have to wait 45 days. Also, the application processing was extended 30 days.

These are disquieting changes, advocates contend, because they undo part of a 2010 law that made it easier for low-income parents to qualify for TANF – a federal/state program that stems from national welfare reform. As Progress Illinois reported, Illinois has a history of denying assistance for TANF applicants.

“This will indeed impose a significant hardship on poor families,” argues Dan Lesser, director of economic justice at the Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. Lesser says the new bill will impact thousands of new applicants, noting that they are 45,000 current state TANF cases and a high turnover in caseload.

Despite Emergency Funding, State Child Care Money Still In Jeopardy | Progress Illinois

I truly would like the ages of these legislators. I truly fear the baby boomers. Boomers who while I was working to retire their grandparents and parents at age 62 so that they could get jobs, who it was said that their jobs did not allow them to be paid enough to help their aging parents resulting in medicare, who it was said could not afford college resulting in pell grants. Do I need to continue?

Now that the generation that had S/S contributions increased from .75% to 7.85% will not step up or ask their children to step up to help those in their 70's, and many likely needy because so much was provided from their pay to take care of boomers and their children. Then just in case that is not enough to thoroughly anger a generation, they vote to continue supporting aliens? Do we need any more evidence that common sense and common decency are NOT taught in colleges and universities.

America, wake up, is it right to use someone else's income to get educated, then kill them off? So that you do not have to return favors already done for you? Raise your childrens taxes by an equal percentage as done to others on your behalf!

Aliens, are you really sure that you want this country?

Originally Posted by kevinssdad

I truly would like the ages of these legislators. I truly fear the baby boomers. Boomers who while I was working to retire their grandparents and parents at age 62 so that they could get jobs, who it was said that their jobs did not allow them to be paid enough to help their aging parents resulting in medicare, who it was said could not afford college resulting in pell grants. Do I need to continue?

Now that the generation that had S/S contributions increased from .75% to 7.85% will not step up or ask their children to step up to help those in their 70's, and many likely needy because so much was provided from their pay to take care of boomers and their children. Then just in case that is not enough to thoroughly anger a generation, they vote to continue supporting aliens? Do we need any more evidence that common sense and common decency are NOT taught in colleges and universities.

America, wake up, is it right to use someone else's income to get educated, then kill them off? So that you do not have to return favors already done for you? Raise your childrens taxes by an equal percentage as done to others on your behalf!

Aliens, are you really sure that you want this country?

Many boomers are already retired and are getting Social Security and many need it because they lost everything they owned either in the stock market,the housing market. Many are already taking care of aging parents or helping their almost middle aged children and their families when their jobs were lost and there are a bunch of them and some are already approaching 70!!

To imply that just because someone is of a certain age group(Boomer) they will not take care of their parents is a little narrow, many already have and still do. Just because a person is a Boomer, doesn't mean that they are wealthy.

I find it ironic that the Democratic Party will run TV adds showing grandma getting thrown off the cliff by a Paul Ryan look alike and then do exactly that to the seniors in Illinois.

This is what we have to look forward to in old age?

Newmexican, I did not mean to make personal attacks, and if I did I apologize. I thought I was describing how many folks being kicked off medicaid that depend upon it are now being attacked by politicians who likely benefited form the past 40 years. Yes, I do take it as a personal affront that they made no adjustments(I suggest complete removal of alien benefits) to alien benefits while attacking senior benefits.

I do not know whether you misinterpreted my point or if I was unclear. However if I did not beleive that friends were on this site, I would not be here, so I hope this helps you understand my position.

Alien invasion is my biggest gripe about America, but I was tossing cautions to American's about ignoring it 35 years ago. But, it certainly is not the only thing that we ignored, either.


Social security checks today are about 40% of the purchasing power of those who received the benefit first of retiring at age 62. That is an estimate, I used bread, milk, rents, gasoline, etc to arrive at this estimate, But they are things required for everday living. So, the value of assistance for aging populations have already been cut and then Quinn and Illinois remove benefits from those too infirm to work, if there were jobs availble. And, negotiate away removing benefits from non-citizens, I certainly cannot justify that.


I do count you as a friend and companion in arms!

I would really like to know if those Hispanics protesting the cuts are here legally. At the same time Illinois is cutting benefits for seniors, they continue to be a sanctuary state.

Originally Posted by kevinssdad

Newmexican, I did not mean to make personal attacks, and if I did I apologize. I thought I was describing how many folks being kicked off medicaid that depend upon it are now being attacked by politicians who likely benefited form the past 40 years. Yes, I do take it as a personal affront that they made no adjustments(I suggest complete removal of alien benefits) to alien benefits while attacking senior benefits.

I do not know whether you misinterpreted my point or if I was unclear. However if I did not beleive that friends were on this site, I would not be here, so I hope this helps you understand my position.

Alien invasion is my biggest gripe about America, but I was tossing cautions to American's about ignoring it 35 years ago. But, it certainly is not the only thing that we ignored, either.


Social security checks today are about 40% of the purchasing power of those who received the benefit first of retiring at age 62. That is an estimate, I used bread, milk, rents, gasoline, etc to arrive at this estimate, But they are things required for everday living. So, the value of assistance for aging populations have already been cut and then Quinn and Illinois remove benefits from those too infirm to work, if there were jobs availble. And, negotiate away removing benefits from non-citizens, I certainly cannot justify that.


I do count you as a friend and companion in arms!

I 'm not very miffed, perhaps a bit sensitive.

Not only have the seniors lost in buying power, but if they are in a nursing facility, the fees are very high and when all of their savings and assets are depleted by the nursing home fees, then they put them on medicaid to continue their care. When they go on medicaid if they own a home, they have to sign it over. Now, a lot of the low income seniors that are going to have their benefits cut are low income because their assets have been drained, not necessarily because they were poor planners. They just passed their working age or fell to bad health and the costs of things surpassed their assets. Now, the nursing homes are going to be paid less and if you go on an elder abuse atttorney's websites in Illinois, they are advocating checking on your family member often to make sure they are being neglected because of the decreased payments fpr them

In addition to the illegal aliens being taken care of, the investor owned hospitals are getting a tax break - no property tax. It makes it look like investors are being taken care of so whatever happened to "tax the rich" to help the poor? What a bunch of hypocrites.

The whole thing is horrible and it tells me that if Obama is re-elected this will be the model for the rest of the country. Remember that 500 Billion dollar cut to Medicare for seniors programs that will be moved to take care of the "uninsured", code word illegal aliens?

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

I would really like to know if those Hispanics protesting the cuts are here legally. At the same time Illinois is cutting benefits for seniors, they continue to be a sanctuary state.

Those in the picture are probably newly minted American citizens. But the program to pay for them to keep having children is still getting fully funded for pregnant women, illegal or not - it is great magnate.