Parsing Policy: Pros And Cons Of Budget Priorities On Seniors; For The Poor, Food Boxes Could Harm Health
Editorial writers focus on the health policy topics of the day.
Forbes:
What Trump's Budget Would Mean For Seniors
While most proposals in President Trump’s newly released 2019 budget are unlikely to become law, the fiscal framework does show the White House’s priorities for government over the coming year. And those apparently don’t include support for older adults, younger people with disabilities, or their families. For example, the Trump budget would: Restructure the Medicare drug benefit to reduce costs for some beneficiaries but raise them for others. Reduce overall Medicare spending by $236 billion over 10 years. Freeze most funding under the Older Americans Act. Eliminate key federal block grants that states use to fund programs for seniors. Create a new six-week family leave program, but exclude those caring for frail parents or other relatives with disabilities. (Howard Gleckman, 2/14)
The New York Times:
Donald Trump Raids The Pantry Of Poor Americans
If Mr. Trump and his aides actually cared about improving nutrition and the lives of low-income Americans, they would be trying to put more money into SNAP, not less. The program has done a heroic job of reducing poverty and improving the lives of millions of people. Studies have found that the program’s beneficiaries are less likely to report not having enough to eat. They are also less likely to take sick days and are shown to spend less on health care compared with similar people who do not benefit from the program. (2/14)
Detroit Free Press:
Trump Wants Food Boxes Instead Of Food Stamps
Trump’s massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations blew a hole in the budget, so in his budget unveiled earlier this week, he proposes to make up the difference by slashing programs such as food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid that benefit struggling Americans. The hypocrisy behind the plan is so rank you need to wear a nose clip: Small government conservatives letting big government determine what people eat? In Michigan, the average Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (food stamp) recipient gets about $122 a month. Small potatoes considering that Trump’s proposing a $4.4 trillion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. We've got bigger whales to fry. America, we’re better than this. (Mike Thompson, 2/14)
Kansas City Star:
The Problem With Replacing Food Stamps With Blue Apron-Style Approach
We are old enough to remember when Michelle Obama was pilloried for suggesting that school lunches should include less salt and some vegetables beyond the tomatoes in the pizza sauce. ...So how surprising that this same freedom-loving, choice-respecting administration wants to tell those receiving nutritional assistance exactly what their families should eat — and then deliver it to them in a carton they’re calling “America’s Harvest Box.” (2/14)
USA Today:
Stop Cheering The Budget Deal. It's Ruinous For Long-Term Care.
The new budget deal known as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 included a massive increase in military spending and a comparatively modest domestic spending increase. Both parties claimed victory. ...The bipartisan jubilation ignored the fact that long-term care was used as a “pay-for” to offset the military spending increase. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), there is a $3.5 billion Medicare cut to home health services, and a $1.9 billion Medicare cut to nursing home care. While the cut will not begin until 2019 for home health, it starts Oct.1 for nursing homes with $140 million slashed from care. (Brendan Williams, 2/15)
Des Moines Register:
Lawmaker Wants Drug Tests, Delayed Care For Iowans On Medicaid
When Iowans helped send Donald Trump to the White House in November 2016, they also gave Republicans control of the Iowa Legislature. Sen. Tom Courtney was among the long-serving Democrats who were unseated. He was replaced by Sen. Tom Greene, R-Burlington. Courtney was known for sponsoring criminal justice reform that became law and for leading the Senate’s Government Oversight Committee, among other accomplishments. Greene is making a name for himself in other ways. (2/14)
