More health insurance problems

The Los Angeles Times reports that states are cutting back on who gets coverage under Medicaid. Missouri will eliminate the program completely by June 30, 2008, even though one in four of Missouri residents are covered by the program.

Bush plans to reduce spending on Medicaid by $40 billion.

"State Rep. Trent Skaggs, a Democrat from Kansas City,[MO] considers the new rules cruel, especially at a time when more than 45 million Americans lack insurance. He worries parents will stop working so their income will drop low enough to qualify their family for free care.

Rather than raise costs for minimum-wage clerks, Skaggs suggests increasing insurance premiums for lawmakers who get health coverage through the state. He recently introduced a measure that would have cost the average politician $115 a month — the measure failed on a close vote.

"That made a complete mockery of the idea that leaders sacrifice first," Skaggs said. "Times are tough, but not so tough that we have to sacrifice?"

In the meantime the Washington Post reported April 14th:

The House voted 272 to 162 yesterday to permanently repeal the estate tax, throwing the issue to the Senate where negotiations have begun on a deep and permanent estate tax cut that can pass this year, even if it falls short of full repeal.

Congress is committing to "...a tax cut largely for the affluent that would cost $290 billion over 10 years, in the face of record budget deficits.

"This is reverse Robin Hood," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "We're taking money from the middle class and giving it to the super-rich."

The Republican Missouri legislators will not pay for their own state-financed health care, and the US House is happy to give tax cuts to dead people who aren't spending any money while cutting the funds that go to Medicaid to pay for it.

With the takeover of the government by the Republicans we now live in a Plutocracy rather than a democracy.

plu·toc·ra·cy (plū-tŏk'rə-sē)
n., pl. -cies.
Government by the wealthy.
A wealthy class that controls a government.
A government or state in which the wealthy rule.
[Greek ploutokratiā : ploutos, wealth + -kratiā, -cracy.]

The new motto for America is "Support your local Plutocrat."

And you damned well don't need health care while he sucks your blood out!