January 22, 2002
Genesis Health System Letter to the Editor
Cutting Medicaid Is The Wrong Way To Balance Iowa And Illinois' State Budgets
For years, Medicaid programs in Iowa and Illinois have been held hostage to the ups and downs of the states' budgets, making it harder for residents to access the medical services they need the most. This year, lawmakers are making it even tougher.
Illinois and Iowa legislators are jeopardizing health care in our community with plans to slash Medicaid reimbursements in Iowa by $18.6 million and by more than $100 million in Illinois. The states may be working through a fiscal crisis, but there is no justification for balancing the budget on the backs of their most vulnerable citizens, children, pregnant women, the blind and disabled and those over age 65.
Genesis Health System, the Quad City's locally based health care provider, believes the cuts planned by Govs. Ryan and Vilsack will cause irreversible harm to area Medicaid patients, hospitals, nursing homes and dozens of other health care providers. The impact will not only be felt within the health care community but also at the state level where matching federal funds will not be received. In turn, this will cause problems for new Medicaid patients seeking assistance they need, and the proposed cuts will further strangle an economy, that is already in recession. While we understand that state lawmakers are dealing with a number of budget-related challenges, this is the worst time to cut health care funding. Here in the Quad Cities, and across the country, we have seen the number of unemployed and uninsured people rise with recent layoffs, downsizing and uncertain economic times.
We urge you to contact your state representatives and express your concerns about these proposed cuts. Ask them to work together and with the health care community to seek ways to balance the budget without hurting Medicaid patients.
Mark Kleinschmidt
Vice President of Finance and CFO
Genesis Health System
Hal Holder
Chief Financial Officer
Illini Hospital and DeWitt Community Hospital
Jeff Cooper
President and CEO
DeWitt Community Hospital
The above editorial was sent to the Quad City Times, Argus/Dispatch, Leader, Bettendorf News, Clinton Herald, DeWitt Observer, Muscatine Journal and the North Scott Press.
