Medicaid cuts would reverberate across state
POINT OF VIEW |
LETTERS
Cuts to Oklahoma’s Medicaid program have been made with the two revenue failures, and effective June 1, providers could be hit with a 25 percent rate cut. The depth of these cuts make it unsustainable for providers to continue the provider/state relationship in the program, which will directly impact the lives of children, the disabled and the frail elderly.
In times of crisis, Oklahoma has made a statement to the nation. We live the “Oklahoma Standard.” We take care of those in need, no matter what the cause of the destruction.
That standard will be noticeably missing. Nursing homes will close and residents will lose the place they call home. Working families will be challenged to care for family members, in their homes, who require 24-hour nursing care. The nursing centers that will be able to absorb the cuts through reduced staffing, wages and services will be few and far between, creating an “access to services” challenge throughout the state.
Not only will long-term care services be impacted, but also hospitals, doctors, medical suppliers, pharmacies and others who provide critical services.
In Oklahoma, 19.3 percent of the population comprises those 60-plus years of age. It is the fastest-growing segment of the population, projected to double by 2030. If we can’t afford to care for our aged now, what is our plan for the coming years?
No matter how much we talk about right-sizing government, this part of the budget is going to grow. We cannot compromise the lives of those on the Medicaid program because of the downturn in the economy or our failure to address the “graying” of Oklahoma.
We must have big, bold ideas. We must be committed to finding solutions now and then for the future. We must instill personal responsibility to save for old age and have a financial safety net for times of need.
Oklahoma is fortunate to have nonprofit, faith-based organizations that serve the elderly and disabled. The announced cuts to the Medicaid program would eliminate most of these mission-driven, aging services providers. They will be faced with making the ethical decision of compromising the quality of care and services they provide in order to remain financially viable or to set a date that the residents of these homes must move out and the doors will be closed. This crisis will dismantle a dedicated network of providers who will be sorely needed in the future when the economy rebounds and the elderly continue to need services. You cannot rebuild in a lifetime what will be lost in this crisis. We will lose some of the best providers.
The Medicaid cuts will have reverberations throughout the local communities with the jobs lost, and the loss to local businesses that provide goods and services to the Medicaid providers, all of which directly impact the local and state economy.
When we impact the quality of life for the aged, blind, disabled and children, who are we as Oklahomans? Where is the Oklahoma Standard that has brought national attention to the character of Oklahomans?