Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Countdown with Keith Olbermann dedicated its first two segments Friday nght to Arizona's AHCCCS transplant controversy — budget cuts made by the Republican-dominated legislature and signed by governor Jan Brewer ending transplant coverage for people on AHCCCS because no insurer will insure them.
It was a cold cost-benefit analysis: so few people successfully obtain a transplant organ that only a "few" people will die as a result of not funding transplants. Only the information provided to the legislature was flawed (false). (The state forgoes $15 million in federal Medicaid funds as a result of eliminating transplant coverage — to save approximately $5 million in state funding). Jan Brewer is still sitting on top of approximately $30 million in discretionary stimulus funds that she gets to dole out and claim credit.
The state of Arizona is now making the decision to let people die because it does not want to pay, just as insurance companies have been doing for years. The "death panels" that Sarah Palin falsely claimed were in the Affordable Care Act do exist in Arizona's AHCCCS program for transplant patients.
And if our shadow governor, Sen. Russell Pearce gets his way, those death panels will be expanded to other areas when the state of Arizona opts-out of the federal Medicaid program. The poor will be on their own, left to die and to "reduce the surplus population."
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I have one more thing to say. If there is any wonder why this state has money issues, look no further than the Republican gov. and legislatures rationale with regard to money. You recieve $15M in Federal Medicaid funds to save $5M. AND you have available $30 million to spend from the Feds…Do you see a problem here??? This should be a no brainer…that it, if there were a brain between them. Thus, the problem. Not a brain in the lousy, corrupt, rotten bunch.
Bethany…this is one of the few places to get away to when you are exhaused from the lunatics running the asylum.There are so many things swirling in my brain right now, that it seems so difficult to sort through them all, to make sense of any of it.I’m certain that I wasn’t alone when I said I was left speechless by this segment of Countdown…I have personal experience in this with my mother. Though she didn’t live here, though she had insurance, the death of my mother stung no less when she wasn’t able to get the heart that would save her life.But the fact that this gov. is CHOOSING to let people die, claiming the budget deficit, is beyond evil and heartless to me.When that day came where we put any amount of money over people’s lives, in the name of austerity…well,I suspect that if you believe in hell…those that would make those heartless and unnecessary choices should burn there for eternity.I pray that some kind soul steps in to rescue these families from their protracted death sentences..Jan Brewer needs to be held accountable for these dispicable actions..she isn’t acting in the best interests of the people in this state. She is slowly and painfully killing them off, one by one,her personal death panel,for which she should be removed from office before she even takes an oath she will lie about promising to uphold for the people of this state.If there is a hell on Earth, Arizona has to be it. Sometimes I kick myself for ever moving here from my blue state heaven.Scream loud. Scream hard. Don’t stop until they hear you. I have one question for Jan and all those “family values” voters. How’s THAT working out for you?
It’s good to see that people like you exist in Arizona. And Cheri, I was also left speechless when I saw this segment.
I saw that last night. For once in my life, words escape me.