[Vision2020] Health and Welfare

[Saundra Lund]

Hi Shirley,

 

In part, you wrote:

"The bottom line:  don't believe anyone in the legislature who says there
were no choices.  We had choices, didn't make them, and now people are
paying the price."

 

Thank you so much for making that point.  There were lots of different
options that could have been taken, and while none were perfect, any would
have been preferable to increasing the burden on the most disadvantaged
among us.

 

As a former H&W employee back in the 1990s, I have first-hand experience
with the dire hardship these office closures will pass along to those Idaho
citizens who happen to need the services of H&W.  This non-resolution
literally makes me ill.

 

At a time when Idaho's economy is in the toilet and more good people than
ever need a helping hand, it is flatly immoral, IMHO, for the legislature to
have wasted its time, energy, and resources on pure crap rather than taking
action to keep from erecting barriers to much needed services that can make
the difference between eating and going hungry, between getting a child's
ear infection treated and that child losing his/her hearing, between a newly
unemployed diabetic getting help applying for Medicaid to keep up with
his/her health care to be able to return to employment when there are jobs
available and letting that person fall through the cracks never to be
employed again, between child protective workers having a presence in
communities where they are desperately needed as prevention and protectors
and going back to blind eyes being turned left and right to abuse and
neglect, etc.

 

In a very real sense, in addition to "laying off" over 100 overworked H&W
employees, these office closures will have the very real effect of making
services inaccessible, delayed, and ineffective to those who need them the
most.

 

I don't think those effects can be looked at as "unintended consequences."
They can, however, be looked at as "heartless."

 

But, perhaps that was the intention of some in the legislature from the
beginning . . . I certainly wouldn't put it beyond those heartless
so-and-sos.

 

Thanks for all your hard work!

 

 

 

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
nothing.

~ Edmund Burke

 

***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2010 through life plus
70 years, Saundra Lund.  Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside
the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the
author.*****

 

 

 

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of ringoshirl
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 9:26 AM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Health and Welfare

 

Visionaries:

 

Bob Huntley, a spectacular individual who ran for Governor in 1998, told me
that when he served in the Idaho legislature the Joint Finance and
Appropriations Committee would communicate with the Revenue and Taxation
Committee when there was a need for more revenues.  I have always thought
that would be appropriate, but the system doesn't work like that anymore.
The majority party on the JFAC committee may moan a bit about lack of
revenues, but they certainly wouldn't advocate for any increase at all.

 

My colleagues and I put forth a number of proposals to help with revenue.
Some included such things as delaying implementation of consolidated
elections ($4 million), delaying reduction of the insurance premium tax
($6.7 million), freezing build-up of the grocery tax credit except for very
low income levels ($9.4 million).  You may recall that Judy Brown and I
proposed an income tax surcharge for those making over $50,000 TAXABLE
INCOME.  ($40 million)  All of the above were ignored by majority party
members.

 

But there is something even worse, in my opinion.  At the beginning of the
session, it was not clear whether the feds would renew increased
reimbursement rates for Medicaid.  (FMAP)  There was a pot of money in the
Millineum Fund that was set aside to cover in case those rates weren't
approved.  (about $73 million)  When it became clear that the feds WERE
going to re-approve those enhanced rates, my colleagues and I on JFAC
proposed that we use about $30 million of the $73 million to address
critical needs.  We proposed using $20 million for Medicaid, which at the
80%-20% federal match rate would have been significant.  We were not allowed
to bring it up because it was not officially on the agenda.  That was true,
but even thought it was late in the session, another meeting could have been
scheduled the next day.  Note also that a message was sent to the Governor's
office, asking if he would support the idea, and his response was negative.

 

The bottom line:  don't believe anyone in the legislature who says there
were no choices.  We had choices, didn't make them, and now people are
paying the price.

 

Representative Shirley Ringo

 

 

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