Rally decries Medicaid cuts
By Amy Worden
Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG - Hundreds of disabled people - many of them in wheelchairs - crowded the Capitol rotunda yesterday to protest Gov. Rendell's proposal to scale back Medicaid benefits for 1.7 million residents.
Advocates called on Rendell to restore state Medicaid funding, arguing that limiting coverage for those who are chronically ill would harm the most vulnerable segment of the population.
"Medicaid is not an optional program, it's a lifesaving program," said Joseph Rogers of Philadelphia, an advocate with the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Under the Rendell proposal, disabled, elderly or low-income Pennsylvanians who receive Medicaid would retain their eligibility for health coverage but would receive reduced benefits.
For instance, recipients would be allowed a maximum of two hospital visits and 18 doctor's visits per year. Most Medicaid recipients now face no restrictions in these two categories, or in the number of prescriptions permitted. Copayments would increase from $1 to $3 on brand-name drugs.
Rogers, 52, suffers from bipolar disorder and says that without mental health services and vocational rehabilitation provided by Medicaid, he would have to live in an institution.
Advocates say the cuts would affect 90,000 Pennsylvania residents. Rendell offered the changes in February to erase a $400 million shortfall in the welfare department budget created by increased Medicaid enrollment, higher health-care costs, and reduced federal dollars.
"These people are entitled to have their quality of life sustained," said Rep. Dennis O'Brien (R., Phila.), who spoke at the rally and promised to fight to restore the funding. "If we strip services away they will end up in emergency rooms and the costs will be much higher."
The event was sponsored by a coalition of more than 70 groups statewide that serve people who suffer from chronic conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.
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Contact staff writer Amy Worden at 717-783-2584 or aworden@phillynews.com. |
