Under New Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, Food Stamps May Be Reduced -NYT

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON, May 7 - Elderly people with low incomes may lose some of their food stamps if they sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Bush administration said Saturday.

When Medicare begins covering drugs in January, older Americans will spend less of their own money on drugs and will therefore have more to spend on food, reducing their need for food stamps, officials said.

The new reading of the Medicare law, set forth in a document sent to Congressional offices this week, comes just as federal officials begin a nationwide campaign to persuade low-income people to apply for the drug benefit.

The document, addressed to elderly and disabled people who receive food stamps, says, "You may qualify for extra help paying for your Medicare prescription drug costs." But it adds, "If you qualify for extra help, your food stamp benefits may decline."....

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/politics/08drugs.html?ex=1273204800&en=d8e91447242022d7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[cornermouse]

1. Punishing people for being elderly and/or poor.

The repub's greed just never ends. They should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

[FloridaPat]

2. This was known when they passed medicare plan. Good to see the

NYT so current with news.

[Gloria]

3. I hope AARP starts screaming about this....

and our Dems take this up, too. The time may be right for people paying attention to this little nugget. Before, it was all about the "gap"....

Values??????

[kcass1954]

4. So apparently the "prescription" assistance isn't going to assist anyone.

It's still either eat or take your medicine.

[shanti]

5. and the elderly

are screwed either way! :grr:

[Shallah Kali]

17. No it assists the drug companies with their non-negotiable pricing

Can't forget to pay back Big Pharma for all those campaign donations for * and the rest of the GOP.

[Zorra]

6. Jeebus, republicans really are some cold hearted little reptiles, huh?

Maybe granma can keep from starving by eating a double dose of her heart medication.

[Skip Intro]

7. unfuckingbelieveable - I told my mother there was a reason it was put off

till 2006.

Those fucking, war-mongering, murderous, dripping in wealth bastards would force a poor elderly man or woman to choose between medication and food.

Goddamn these unChristain assholes.

I know damn well America didn't vote for this.

[amandabeech]

13. I think that the Pubbies will start having problems in 2006.

By 2008, economics may override religion in some key states, like Ohio. If we can come up with some answers, we could take advantage of the situation. However, we must have real answers, not just a bunch of pablum. That may mean replacing corporate donations with more smaller ones, and lots of local, hard-working supporters.

[FDR33]

8. Stamps

The country can't afford to help Grandma Betty eat 1,500 calories a day and take her Lipitor, but the admin. can spend X trillion trying to shoot a bullet out of the sky with a bullet. Disgraceful.

[Straight Shooter]

12. Welcome to DU, FDR33!

:hi:

The problem with this plan is that they're presuming the elderly have enough left over to pay for their food, after paying for prescriptions.

Poor is poor. There ain't no money left over.

[jbnow]

16. Now be fair

We aren't just making war with the money, we also have to help millionaires and corporations.
Everyone worries about poor people and the middle class here. but the poor and middle class are the majority in America.

bush cares about the minority, especially the smallest minority, that wealthiest 1%.

Welcome home.

[Terre]

9. A freakin' REVOLVING DOOR!

What the HELL is the point of this???

OK, let's see:

1) Sign up for the new Medicare RX program,
2) Reduce food stamps benefits, if you use it
3) Reduce Medicaid assistance.
4) Force them to use credit cards to get by,
5) Forever indebted.

Yup, makes perfect sense.

[POAS]

15. And if you die while owing the credit cards

they'll make your heir's pay it back. No death tax that, right?

[Kool Kitty]

10. Hey, all you folks in

this great land that actually voted for Bush-happy now? Is this what you thought would happen? Or were you just so worried that those queers might get to be married? Weren't you paying attention when we told you this was what you'd get? Tell us again that you'd like to have a beer with him. You could, but only if he's buying-because now you can't afford it. Hope you're happy.

[daleo]

11. The morality of these people escapes me.

Sometimes force feeding is needed (Terri Shiavo), sometimes forced hunger is good, if it saves the government a few bucks.

[Rainscents]

14. This is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to scream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:argh:

[burrowowl]

18. If you starve them to death

they won't need no stinking medicines. Get it!:mad:

[sandnsea]

19. This happens alot

Anytime they adjust a federal program upwards in one area, they adjust it downwards in another. But they usually don't do it with medical benefits. Assholes.

[AzDar]

20. Kick. (in utter disgust)

[entanglement]

21. Shameful

Making the elderly choose between food and medicine! If this is 'compassionate' conservatism, I shudder to think what the other varieties look like :eyes:

[snippy]

22. How very republican.

Greedy old Mrs Smith has a monthly income of $798. I'm surprised that Bush is cutting her food stamps by only 63%.

[fencesitter]

23. This is why we need to "fix" social security..

If grandma had put her SS money into private savings accounts, she would be rolling in dough and would only need maybe 25.00 in food stamps to get by, thereby saving the gov't 2.00. Oh, but then her benefits would be reduced to offset the possible gains in interest, never mind.

[Pirate Smile]

24. NYT: Under New Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, Food Stamps May Be Reduced

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: May 8, 2005
WASHINGTON, May 7 - Elderly people with low incomes may lose some of their food stamps if they sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Bush administration said Saturday.

When Medicare begins covering drugs in January, older Americans will spend less of their own money on drugs and will therefore have more to spend on food, reducing their need for food stamps, officials said.

The new reading of the Medicare law, set forth in a document sent to Congressional offices this week, comes just as federal officials begin a nationwide campaign to persuade low-income people to apply for the drug benefit.

The document, addressed to elderly and disabled people who receive food stamps, says, "You may qualify for extra help paying for your Medicare prescription drug costs." But it adds, "If you qualify for extra help, your food stamp benefits may decline."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/politics/08drugs.html

The NYT picked up the story from David Sirota's blog - here

"NY Times Picks Up Sirotablog Scoop on Medicare
Forgive me for a bit of shameless, irritating self-congratulation, but this is some great news I just had to share because it gives us all hope that we can make an impact and occasionally break through the media din. On Friday May 6th, Sirotablog had an exclusive story uncovering evidence that the Bush administration is now telling Congress and the public that food stamp recipients could see their food stamp benefits eliminated under the new Medicare bill. The New York Times quickly got in touch with me for the details, and now has a prominent story on the scam in its May 8th newspaper.

The administration's efforts to cut food stamps for Medicare recipients stands in stark contrast to its earlier public promises that indicated food stamp benefits would be preserved. And while the mainstream media often ignores such hypocrisy, this time - thankfully - at least the New York Times did not. That's a major victory for the progressives and the blogosphere as a whole, because it makes sure thousands of people will see exactly how the Bush administration is waging an economic war on ordinary Americans.

See the New York Times' full story here. For more details, see the original Sirotablog post that exposed the Bush administration's scam here."

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/ny-times-picks-up-sirotablog-scoop-on.html

Here is the original Sirotablog:

New Medicare Guide Justifies Cutting Food Stamps
If ever there was an example of how the Bush administration robs Peter to pay Paul, this is it. Hard-right political hacks at the Department of Health and Human Services are actually sending out a fact sheet to Capitol Hill and the public about the new Medicare bill that justifies eliminating food stamp benefits to Medicare recipients. This is radical conservatism, without even a hint of compassion.

Specifically, page 2 of the fact sheet asks a hypothetical question that Medicare recipients might ask: "Will I lose my food stamp benefits if I apply and qualify for extra help paying for the new Medicare prescription drug coverage?" The Bush adminstration's answer: "With the Medicare prescription drug coverage, you may see your food stamp benefits go down" and even possibly eliminated. How could they be so heartless to do that? Because they say, "you spend less on drugs" and "the extra cash you will have to spend on food makes up for not getting as much in food stamps." Download the fact sheet sent out by HHS here and see this travesty for yourself.

In other words, for the poorest of the poor, the new Medicare "benefits" aren't necessarily an overall benefit, because the Bush administration openly admits they are taking that benefit out of poor people's ability to put food on their table. This comes on top of Bush's earlier proposal to gut food stamp funding. How disgusting.

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/new-medicare-guide-justifies-cutting_06.html

[acmejack]

25. They have absolutely no shame

I despise these people

[rodeodance]

26. what will it take for Americans to WAKE up and look around!!

[TahitiNut]

27. Both food AND medical care costs are increasing as a share ...

... of personal consumption expenditures under the Bushoilini Regime. Just compare to housing costs which we KNOW are increasing, merely at lower rates. This is yet another example of pillaging the poor to enrich the wealthy. These fascists are an abomination in this nation.

[bluetrain]

28. People are just going to start dying in the streets. Is that what they

want? How do they not understand the correlation between poverty and crime? And how do they not realize that their actions will undoubtedly lead to civil uprising? The thinking is illogical, just from a base self-preservative stance. They are making themselves less safe and threatening their own power because hungry people are not complacent.

[pie]

29. Is ANYBODY fighting for us in Washington?

[noamnety]

30. Pulling the feeding tube

Once again, forced feeding of the brain dead is mandatory; but those who aren't brain dead can starve for all they care.

[reprobate]

31. I suggest all republicans ponder the date 1789, and what it could mean....

...to them. Calling Dr. Guillotine.

This could get nasty, as well as meaning the real demise of republicanism in America.