April 4, 2008

Behind Closed Doors --- Proposed Cuts being discussed - Take Action letter below!

Legislative Leaders and the Governor are in negotiation behind closed doors and it seems progress is being made.  By at whose expense and at what price?  Examples of cuts being discussed include:

·         A 33% cut in Community Health Centers ($4.5 million) which could impact up to 38,000 low income persons from getting needed health care.  (This could just clog emergency rooms even more.)

·         Cuts in child welfare funding from last year to backfill lost federal funding impacting thousands of foster children and families.  (This could result in the loss of in-home services alternative ironically driving up costs.)

·         Creating a child care waiting list or lowering child care eligibility impacting thousands of low income families trying to work during a recession.  (This type of cut just pushes families onto public assistance which does not seem like good public policy.)

·         KidCare Parents - eliminating 13,000 parents further clogging emergency rooms or resulting in loss of regular primary care or forcing health care in emergencies only.

·         KidsCare eligibility lowered to 175% from poverty rather current 200% of poverty leaving families no alternatives again and more clogging emergency rooms or even more dire consequences of not getting regular health care. (Over 19,000 children could be eliminated from the program.)

·         Eliminating immunizations for vulnerable adults putting individuals and communities at risk.

·         Eliminating General Assistance for 1,300 persons with serious disabilities. (This is a basic support and safety net program and may just be cruel while only saving a few million dollars.)

·         Eliminating dual eligibles' prescription coverage forcing low income elders and people with disabilities to go without critical medicines. (This could result in more hospitalizations and most costs.) 

·         Large Housing Trust Sweeps which will impact homelessness, lose needed construction jobs and state revenues.  (Makes no sense economically or humanely.) 

·         Loss of homeless lottery funding --- when issues for families experiencing homelessness are getting worse. 

·         While none of these cuts have been finally proposed or adopted:  NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE.  Eliminating these types of services is not smart, cost effective or humane.  It is penny wise and pound foolish. We must not balance the budget on backs of the children and vulnerable adults eliminating basic safety programs when they are needed most.  

OPEN UP THE PROCESS. We must open up the process so the public can comment and propose options to such cruel and inhumane cuts.  There are clear alternatives to cutting health and human services. 

DEMAND IS GROWING. The demands for basic need health and human services will only grow during a recession.  The Food Stamp caseload is already growing, requests for AHCCCS health care are up, food banks are experiencing significantly increasing demand, and CPS referrals are up. Even Adult Protective Services referrals are growing.  WE CANNOT BE CUTTING SERVICE CAPACITY AT A TIME WHEN SERVICES DEMAND IS GROWING.

PAFCO URGES NO CUTS TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. PAFCO continues to urge that no cuts be made to current direct services involving real people getting essential services today.