Originally published March 28 2005
New Bush budget plan would reduce funding for health programs by nearly $95 million
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In an effort to trim the “fat” from his $2.5 trillion budget for the 2006 fiscal year, the Bush administration is proposing that two health care programs designed to aid the uninsured be cut, for a savings of $94.9 million. The Administration says that those programs have outlived their usefulness, and that the budget also calls for an increase to community health care centers of $350 million. Critics say that while community health centers do serve the uninsured, it is still too under funded to give quality care.
With the number of Americans without health insurance increasing, the federal government has shifted much of the burden for their medical care to states and counties.
Now President Bush wants to eliminate two federal programs that help states and communities find new ways to assist the uninsured and to gather information on the mounting problem.
As part of his plan to trim the $2.5 trillion federal budget, Bush recently proposed cutting the $84 million Healthy Communities Access Project, money that this year helps Palm Beach County and 45 other cities and counties in 25 states to better coordinate health care for the uninsured.
One of those grants, worth $975,000, last year paid for a University of Florida study on the uninsured in the Sunshine State, a report that showed the rate of uninsured residents has increased dramatically since 1999 in most areas of the state.
Should Congress go along with Bush's plans to cut the Healthy Communities programs, these experts and officials say, the pain will be felt here and in many other communities that have come to depend on the federal support to maintain and expand health care access for those without private medical insurance.
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County last fall was awarded a three-year, $2.2 million grant to help identify uninsured residents who qualify for existing public health programs such as Medicaid and the state Children's Health Insurance Program.
For example, in Austin, Texas, community leaders used $4 million to develop a shared medical record system so uninsured patients could be tracked no matter where they went for care.
They also developed a computer program for all of the city's health and social service providers to more easily identify residents that qualify for government assistance.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml