Disabled asked to give up nursing, other services...

sjoe · Nov 23, 2002

I like that bit about voluntarily "reducing the number of diapers." Well, that might work if these families also stop feeding these children, then there will be less poop (and also lower budgets for food--a win-win for everyone!)

Duh!

NMAguiar · Nov 23, 2002

I'm one of those that believes, like many on this site, that the health care situation will implode within a couple of years. I read news regarding the system daily. There's always stories about reduced services, lying HMOs and hospital scandals.

I'm afraid we're going to socialized medicine. Not because it wouldn't be a mistake, but because people will get so fed up they'll accept ANYTHING!

Youda · Nov 23, 2002

Voluntary for now, involuntarily soon.

BadBird, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2002

Well of course we need to save money, you know the poor CEO's with their 7 figure incomes could not possibly give up anything. What a friggin shame !!!!

Youda · Nov 23, 2002

Originally posted by NMAguiar
I'm one of those that believes, like many on this site, that the health care situation will implode within a couple of years. I read news regarding the system daily. There's always stories about reduced services, lying HMOs and hospital scandals.
I'm afraid we're going to socialized medicine. Not because it wouldn't be a mistake, but because people will get so fed up they'll accept ANYTHING!

I wish I could be that optimistic! I don't think the system will implode, or that we'll go to national health care. I fear that the only ones in this country who will get ANY kind of healthcare will be the wealthy. When the baby boomers hit the healthcare system en force, the system won't be able to support the cost. So, I think me and everyone else of my generation will just have to die quiet deaths along with the rest of the homeless population. Can you imagine it? Hundreds of the elderly dying each month of cold and starvation under bridges and on park benches? That's where this is going. And the rich will fly over it all in their private jets and talk about free enterprise.

sjoe · Nov 24, 2002

"...people will get so fed up they'll accept ANYTHING!"

They already do.

"Hundreds of the elderly dying each month of cold and starvation under bridges and on park benches? That's where this is going."

I would be VERY surprised if these figures are not nationally conservative for what is going on right now during the cold months. That is only 10 or so per month in each of our largest cities.

NMAguiar · Nov 24, 2002

I think you're right Sjoe. And the biggest problem is the media is virtually ignoring the whole issue because it's too big and too complicated to package neatly into a 40-second broadcast piece or a daily 20-inch story.

But look at the media treatment of Tenet. As you know, I scour the California news landscape daily, and every friggin day there's more printed about Tenet or their Redding heart surgeons doing unneeded surgeries. It angers me that reporters get so focused on one aspect while refusing to see it as an example of a larger problem.

Not that Tenet doesn't deserve the microscopic enema -- I just want the field of focus enlarged a bit.

just1rn · Nov 25, 2002

Respite care and therapies for special needs children have been slashed.... I know because my son was having hIs therapies cut from three days a week to one day a week due to constrants on the "budget". Also we could only get 10-11 hours a day "nursing" to help take care of my son with a trach. WHY???

Because I was a nurse....I wasn't allowed to be mom.

All these children need and require so much that the burden should be shared and not left to the parents. And NO child should be refused anything.

We no longer fight the system on a dialy bases. Our son died Aug 9th.... And I can honestly say I DON'T MISS FIGHTING BUREAUCRACY*************

PennyLane, RN · Nov 25, 2002

just1rn, I'm so sorry to hear of the death of your son. What an awful thing for a parent to go through.

2amigos · Nov 25, 2002

just1rn, I am so very sorry to hear of your son's death. My heart goes out to you.

As far as budget cuts, I can certainly relate. We lived in Minnesota for seven years and in that time we received NO sevices from that state. We were told by the social workers that they "wouldn't waste a waiver on a child" and that if we needed a break from our special needs kids, we could "put them in emergency foster care"! Can you believe it! We could have sued the County and would have won, but it just wasn't worth it.

We moved a little over a year ago to New Mexico and have found it to be wonderful! I'm actually turning down services...what a wonderful positition to be in. I'm not used to having someone come in and care for the kids, so we use the services sparingly, besides I'm sure that there are other people that could really use the services and I don't want to waste the money.

Cheryl Moore

sjoe · Nov 25, 2002

NMA--Not that media coverage seems to make much difference anyway. If you recall, about 2 years ago the media was all over Kaiser. I've seen no improvements there since then. Media just select different targets now and again, hoping to gain "eyeballs" until a particular fad fades. IMHO.