The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
Doctors warned Tuesday that looming cuts in Virginia's Medicaid budget put access to health care at risk for thousands of the state's most vulnerable residents.
If the Medicaid program is cut in the range of 4 to 5 percent as proposed by the General Assembly money committees, a recent survey indicates that as many as 75 percent of doctors may decide to limit the number of Medicaid patients they see or stop seeing them altogether, Dr. Daniel Carey, president of the Medical Society of Virginia, said in a news conference.
"Physicians must consider the viability of their practices," said Carey, a Lynchburg cardiologist. "We're not cutting fat. We're down to cutting bone and muscle."
Medicaid, a joint federal and state health care program for low-income people, serves 780,000 Virginians - 10 percent more than in December 2007 when the recession began. Virginia already has the 48th-lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the country.
Carey said the proposed cuts will drive more patients to already overburdened emergency rooms, where care is more expensive.
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medicaid
People have very valid points. However here is the reality! Medicaid and Medicare were never intended to handle the volumn of people it has to today. The problem with it as I see it, is we have been giving these programs away for years now to the wrong people. For example: these women out here spitting out babies they can't take care of, these men and women out here who are capable of working but fein disabilities so they can get the benefits. Then we have a system in place of a bunch of pasifist and enablers who allow this kind of thing to go on and essentially unchecked. Anyone remember ACORN? This is why the presidents health care plan is so bad. It is nothing more than medicaid and medicare on steroids! We all ready have free health care in this country. If you don't believe it just spend a day at your local social services or health department. It is time to hold these triffling individuals accountable and make them do there part for the system.
cutbacks on medicaid
Not all people on medicid are getting freebies. I am disabled and unfortunately and fortunatly worked hard and put a lot into the system. After 15 years of being sick and going back to work and repeating this process plus being a caregiver for my father finally tooks its toll on my health. I fought for months this last round to get disability pay because I cannot work anymore and I am told I make too much on disability to merit medicaid. I qualify for medicare but have to wait 24 months before I can get benefits. So I agree the people who do nothing get medicaid and people who work thier buts off have to fight for what they worked for and still have to wait for health care of any kind. I do belive the system is broken but more goverment is not the answer. Regulations, maybe, but I do know there are a lot of folks that just need a little help time to time we need to address temperary help situations. by the way I pay 500 a month for my oxygen supplies so I can breath and now take care of my mother.
what is he thinking?
how does cutting funds to medicaid help? what is the production level of a sick person - high or low? how does over crowding all the emergency rooms help? isn't the cost of an er visit more expensive than a dr's visit? where is the rational in any of these budget cuts? does anyone have a brain anymore? amazing how the education cuts have already affected the brain.
please contact your representatives and the govenor.
The old adage is true...
The old adage is true "you get what you pay for." Sorry, but freebies are getting harder and harder to find especially when your taxbase (middle income) is stretched to limits and has to pay the bills!
What are we going to do when
What are we going to do when our best and brightest students refuse to consider medicine as a career because of this? Who is going to take care of the coming wave of Boomers?
cut's
are needed but I strongly feel other venues should be explored. Find the father's of all these children that recieve free medical and make them pay for there child's insurance. Make state employee's share vehicles during a work day. An aircraft carrier when in port has maybe 30 vehicles for the 3,000 people on board. These vehicles are shared by the entire crew. Enforce the collection of back taxes and fines.