This issue should be important to all who value life, especially those who care about the lives of the most vulnerable of our citizens. Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire's recent budget proposal slashes vital services to the disabled, including cutting payment for pharmaceuticals for Medicaid patients. For the permanently disabled adults who need medication, this is a matter of life and death.
It is especially important to those who care for the disabled. My friend Margaret and her husband are the legal guardians of a developmentally disabled young man with severe autism. They took in this young man when his parents were unable to continue to care for him (due to health reasons of their own) because of their strong belief in the inherent dignity and value of every human life. Their dedication and care for him has stabilized and transformed his life, costing the state little to nothing, but the little help they get is now being slashed. People with severe disabling conditions will never be able to be self-supporting and certainly represent the most vulnerable among us, yet this is what is targeted for cuts. This impacts not only the individual families and caregivers, but also the group homes that depend on the medical assistance and the social security disability payments to be able to continue operating. This comes at a time when such homes are already struggling and closing their doors. Gregoire also plans to close a ward at Western State mental hospital, leaving fewer and fewer options for care of the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill.
Gov. Gregoire's plan also calls for eliminating Basic Health, the state's insurance program for the poor, eliminating care for poor women in high risk pregnancies, while barely touching "family planning" funds. And who does Gregoire blame for the cuts? Not state and national spending, but she blasts "Wall Street" and claims the answer is to raise taxes. But would these taxes be earmarked for the disabled? Or is Gregoire using the vulnerable and poor people of our state as pawns in a political game? Is a health care crisis being created where there was none, then as we have heard before, not letting the crisis "go to waste" but using it as a means to your political ends.
At the same time, Planned Parenthood's Northwest region has been awarded $20 million this year to do teen outreach from the Dept. of Health and Human Services, while they continue to receive Title X funding. This in addition to the recent mandate by HHS leader Katherine Sebelius that all contraception, including the morning after pill and sterilization is to be covered by insurance with no co-pays regardless of the patient's ability to pay, with no opt out for conscience protections - the conscience protection that is allowed is so narrow that Catholic hospitals and institutions would not qualify, since they serve people of all religions, not just Catholics. This demonstrates the reason the pro-life movement fought Obamacare, because throughout this huge law, authority is given to presidential appointee Sebelius to mandate what she wants without congressional approval.
Instead of prioritizing state spending to protect the vulnerable and uninsured, Gov. Gregoire comes out with a speech blaming Wall Street. While at the same time, SEIU, who is one of the biggest supporters of the movement to blame the country’s economic woes on Wall Street, stands against Gregoire’s cuts. SEIU, who was also one of the biggest forces behind the push for a single payer health care mandate, is purporting to fight the cuts to these programs, while it seems that the Governor and big labor have an identical agenda. Is the slashing of health care being used to create a crisis? You decide.
The pro-life movement that must stand for life, for all, the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, the sick, because of the direction this nation is taking in this regard. Some see the disabled as "useless consumers" - let's take a stand for the value and gift of every human person.
Please contact your state legislators and let them know your stand on this issue. Here is a link to the budget proposal: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/reductions/alternatives/default.asp
If you would like to contact your Washington State legislator on this issue, here is a link to contact information: https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx
It is especially important to those who care for the disabled. My friend Margaret and her husband are the legal guardians of a developmentally disabled young man with severe autism. They took in this young man when his parents were unable to continue to care for him (due to health reasons of their own) because of their strong belief in the inherent dignity and value of every human life. Their dedication and care for him has stabilized and transformed his life, costing the state little to nothing, but the little help they get is now being slashed. People with severe disabling conditions will never be able to be self-supporting and certainly represent the most vulnerable among us, yet this is what is targeted for cuts. This impacts not only the individual families and caregivers, but also the group homes that depend on the medical assistance and the social security disability payments to be able to continue operating. This comes at a time when such homes are already struggling and closing their doors. Gregoire also plans to close a ward at Western State mental hospital, leaving fewer and fewer options for care of the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill.
Gov. Gregoire's plan also calls for eliminating Basic Health, the state's insurance program for the poor, eliminating care for poor women in high risk pregnancies, while barely touching "family planning" funds. And who does Gregoire blame for the cuts? Not state and national spending, but she blasts "Wall Street" and claims the answer is to raise taxes. But would these taxes be earmarked for the disabled? Or is Gregoire using the vulnerable and poor people of our state as pawns in a political game? Is a health care crisis being created where there was none, then as we have heard before, not letting the crisis "go to waste" but using it as a means to your political ends.
At the same time, Planned Parenthood's Northwest region has been awarded $20 million this year to do teen outreach from the Dept. of Health and Human Services, while they continue to receive Title X funding. This in addition to the recent mandate by HHS leader Katherine Sebelius that all contraception, including the morning after pill and sterilization is to be covered by insurance with no co-pays regardless of the patient's ability to pay, with no opt out for conscience protections - the conscience protection that is allowed is so narrow that Catholic hospitals and institutions would not qualify, since they serve people of all religions, not just Catholics. This demonstrates the reason the pro-life movement fought Obamacare, because throughout this huge law, authority is given to presidential appointee Sebelius to mandate what she wants without congressional approval.
Instead of prioritizing state spending to protect the vulnerable and uninsured, Gov. Gregoire comes out with a speech blaming Wall Street. While at the same time, SEIU, who is one of the biggest supporters of the movement to blame the country’s economic woes on Wall Street, stands against Gregoire’s cuts. SEIU, who was also one of the biggest forces behind the push for a single payer health care mandate, is purporting to fight the cuts to these programs, while it seems that the Governor and big labor have an identical agenda. Is the slashing of health care being used to create a crisis? You decide.
The pro-life movement that must stand for life, for all, the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, the sick, because of the direction this nation is taking in this regard. Some see the disabled as "useless consumers" - let's take a stand for the value and gift of every human person.
Please contact your state legislators and let them know your stand on this issue. Here is a link to the budget proposal: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/reductions/alternatives/default.asp
If you would like to contact your Washington State legislator on this issue, here is a link to contact information: https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx
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