Please take the time to read the following email I received about Medicaid "Optional" benefits, and my addition afterwards.

Medicaid Mandatory Benefits

Acute care

·      Inpatient hospital care (440.10)

·      Outpatient hospital care (440.20)

·      Rural Health Clinic services (440.20)

·      Federally Qualified Health Center services (SSA, sec. 1905(a)(2) and 1905(1)(2))

·      Laboratory and x-ray services (440.30)

·      Physicians services (440.50)

·      Family planning services and supplies (440.40 and 441.20)

·      Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment services for individuals under age 21 (EPSDT) (440.40)

·      Nurse-midwife services to the extent allowed by state law (440.165 and 441.21)

·      Pediatric and family nurse practitioner services (440.50 and 166)

·      Medical and surgical dental services (440.50)

·      Vaccines for children (SSA, sec. 1928)

·      Early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment services (SSA, subsec. 905(r))

Long-term care

·      Nursing facilities for individuals age 21 or older (440.40)

·      Home health services for persons eligible for nursing facility services (440.70 and 441.15)

Medicaid Optional Benefits

·      Licensed practitioners’ services (e.g., podiatrists, psychologists, nurse anesthetists) (440.60)

·      Private duty nursing (440.80)

·      Nurse practitioner (440.166 and 441.22)

·      Clinic services (440.90)

·      Dental services (440.100)

·      Physical therapy (440.10)

·      Occupational therapy (440.10)

·      Speech, hearing and language therapy (440.10)

·      Prescribed drugs (440.120)

·      Prosthetic devices (440.110)

·      Eyeglasses (440.120)

·      Diagnostic services (440.130)

·      Screening services (440.130)

·      Preventive services (440.130)

·      Rehabilitative services (440.130)

·      Transportation (440.170)

·      Abortion (Subpart E)

·      Sterilizations (Subpart F)

·      Optometric services (441.30)

·      End stage renal disease (441.40)

Long-term care

·      Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) services (440.150 and 483)

·      Inpatient hospital services to individuals age 65 or older in an Institution for Mental Diseases (440.10 and Part 441)

·      Nursing facility services to individuals age 65 or older in an Institution for Mental Diseases (440.140)

·      Inpatient psychiatric services for individuals under age 21 (440.60)

·      Nursing facility services for individuals under age 21 (440.40 and 155)

·      Case management services (SSA, sec. 1915(g))

·      Respiratory care services (440.185)

·      Hospice care services (440.202)

·      Personal care services (440.167)

·      Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers if cost-neutral (440.180 and 441 Subpart G and H)

New York’s Budget Negotiation Should Not Jeopardize Critical Medicaid Services For Vulnerable New Yorkers

Cuts To So-Called Optional Medicaid Services Are Not Optional At All

Albany, NY – Advocates from across the state called upon state elected officials not to pass devastating cuts in the safety-net that will jeopardize New York’s health and safety. Cuts to people and services will cause an immediate skyrocketing of much more intensive and expensive Medicaid hospital and nursing home costs to the State and the counties. In addition, the State will also sacrifice federal dollars that flow into our local communities and create jobs.

Our seniors, people with disabilities and children are being endangered. Children without health care cannot fight H1N1. Adults without wheelchairs will be imprisoned in their homes. Diabetics with no dental care will rapidly develop uncontrolled bacterial and fungal infections that can be life threatening. Children using ventilators at home will be institutionalized and lose their childhoods. Individuals without eyeglasses or hearing aids won’t be safe on the streets. Patients who don’t understand their doctors because they speak a different language will take the wrong dose of medication and need hospital care. Seniors who can’t get help with preparing a meal or shop for the necessities in life will undoubtedly end up in nursing homes that will only cost taxpayers even more money. Families on the edge will break without clinical psychological help.

This is the wrong medicine for New York—our Medicaid program keeps us safe and well. “We’re better than this,” stated many advocates.

What does this mean for us and our future?

If these "Optional" benefits are cut; what does that mean? Well, first consider that the "Medicaid" they are talking about doesn't just include straight Medicaid; it includes Family and Child Health Plus, among other low cost health insurance obtained through the Department of Social Services and other organizations.

Okay, so who is this targeting? Low income individuals and families, the disabled, and the elderly. Who's that? The people that really NEED the help! As our economy continues to be less than desireable, more and more individuals and families are turning to public assistance simply in order to survive.

Let's take the time to go over some of these "optional" benefits:

    Licensed practitioners' services: podiatrists, psychologists... So, mentally disabled individuals are unable to see a psychiatrist and therefore unable to obtain medications in order to become/remain stable.

    Dental Services: Dental problems can be FATAL. Not getting the dental work you need done? This may turn into a hospital visit in the future.

    Speech, Hearing and Language Therapy: Let's just reduce our Education a little more, shall we?

    Prescribed Drugs: Seriously now? "Let's give you health insurance, but that $300 a month prescription you need filled, sorry, you're going to have to cover that."

    Prosthetic Devices: Let's just add some more damper on that leg you lost.

    Preventative Services: Need birth control? Well that sucks doesn't it?

    Abortion Services: Since we don't cover birth control, we're not going to help you with that either. Raped? Nope, we still wont help. We would like to increase the population that we can't afford to help.

    Transportaion: Disabled (mentally and physically) and the elderly who need transportation to appointments are SOL.

    Optometric Services: In addition to putting at risk the young, the old and the disabled, we're going to let people go blind.

    Nursing facility services to individuals age 65 or older in an Institution for Mental Diseases: You mean, the majority of the nursing facility services... gotcha.

    Inpatient Psychiatric Services for individuals under age 21: Individuals under age 21 are most at risk for needing psychiatric services!

    Hospice Care: Come on now! Hospice cares for the elderly who only have months to live, are you really going to start denying them their last possible form of help?!

So, ultimately, ER visits and Hospitalizations are going to increase because of lack of preventative and screening services (including dental and eye care, etc.), children aren't going to get the care and services they need while growing, I'd guess the death rate for all ages would increase, we'd have mentally disabled individuals without medications (ending up in hospitals that they won't be able to pay for anyway, or jail/prison), physcially disabled individuals locked up in their homes (no wheel chair, no limbs, guess who stays home?), all while the population increases and the already growing low income population just keeps increasing!

I really, really question the government, local, state and U.S., this is getting out of control. President Obama is supposedly making health care better. That bill he signed? Wasn't much different than what we had in place, oh and by the way... this year health care benefit costs INCREASED and they suck anyway.

The government is trying to cut costs in the WRONG PLACES! It's about time they buckle down and tax the people who can afford it! How about we try to better the economy instead of worsen it by increasing taxes for the low income population and cutting health care for the low income population. All that is being accomplished by this is increasing the number in the low income population and worsening the economy. But, it doesn't hurt them because they make more than enough. Prices went up recently, not just gas.. I'm talking milk, coffee, etc. I bet you they haven't noticed. Well I sure have.

Instead of protecting the rich with tax breaks, tax them the same. Increase the minimum wage rate from $7.25 an hour (seriously, who can live on that?) to, I don't know... $10? Even $10 an hour is low! Increase wages, keep jobs (BY THE WAY: This proposal to cut "optional" benefits WILL cut jobs.), make jobs (keep companies in the US, cut the imports down... let's start selling OUR stuff).

We need to step up and take control of OUR country for crying out loud.

Anyone know what happened to common sense?