Arizona budget: Mentally ill may lose health benefits

[pinboy3niner]

Arizona budget: Mentally ill may lose health benefits
Brewer's budget plan seeks to cut coverage

by Mary K. Reinhart - Jan. 15, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Gov. Jan Brewer's plan to roll back state Medicaid coverage would leave thousands of Arizona's most mentally fragile without health care.

An estimated 5,200 people diagnosed with a serious mental illness and thousands more who qualify for other behavioral-health services would be among 280,000 childless adults losing health-care coverage under the governor's plan.

To mitigate the hit on the seriously mentally ill, Brewer wants to spend $10.3 million to prevent gaps in their psychiatric medication. They would lose coverage for all other medical care, including prescription drugs for physical ailments, as well as case management, transportation and housing they receive through the state's behavioral-health-care program.

Mental-health advocates say losing case management and other connections to the community, along with their general health-care coverage, would be a devastating blow to an already vulnerable population. And it will put a greater burden on hospitals and the criminal-justice system.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/15/20110115arizona-budget-mentally-ill-health-benefits.html#ixzz1B8PJSQ8D

[ananda]

1. All RW solutions to an already bad situation...

... is to make it much worse.

[bobbolink]

5. The only thing that will change that is for ALL of you to fight the cuts.

I'm not holding my breath on that. :(

[maryf]

14. Yep, and you can't hold your breath and shout!!

We need to make some noise!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Ok let me see if I get the logic straight

Last saturday we had this happen...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ar1c4CavwI8/TSn3g23s-tI/AAAAAAAADVs/4IDdOaTIb4A/s400/Congresswoman+Giffords+Being+Transported+after+shooting.jpg

We know that this man



One Jareed Loughner, probably needed THAT MENTAL HEALTH CARE...

But the Governor is going to cut it?

Pretzel logic comes to mind.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. THAT ought to make things very very interesting and a bit exciting in Arizona.

So what does she propose to do with people who cannot pay for anti-pyschotic meds, now that she has removed housing, transportation and medication monitoring of the people who need it most?

What an unspeakable, heartless plan.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Most will end in the streets, where perhaps

they can do the republicans a favor and just die... yes Grayson had it right.

A small group of them will make things quite... ahem... interesting...

[maryf]

15. read what you just wrote...

I think you don't mean to sound insensitive?

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Nope, just pointing out the real goal

It don't change just because it is the American Right. In fact, it is close tomany other eliminationist right wing movement in history. The means are different, the end is the same.

[jillan]

6. What makes this even more insane is that Brewer's own son suffers from mental illness.

You'd think that would make her an advocate :think:


http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_a127dd24-4d2d-51d8-99ee-0fc16ece3d97.html
The records show Ronald Brewer was indicted on two charges of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. In July 1989 he forced his way into a woman's apartment, slapped her numerous times and then committed sex acts against her.
In February 1990, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gregory Martin concluded Ronald Brewer was not legally responsible "because at the time of the conduct, the defendant was suffering from such a mental disease or defect as not to know the nature and quality of his acts, or that was he was doing was wrong." Martin committed him to the Arizona State Hospital.

[glinda]

13. Sounds like resentment coming from her. She seems an extremely hostile mean person. I think

she needs an evaluation personally.

[Odin2005]

7. evil bastards

[aquart]

8. Or she could tax the rich.

Whichever.

[jillan]

9. Last year she had a penny tax to go towards our schools, and that brought her many challengers

for Governor - from the right of her.

Raising taxes on the rich - not going to happen here or any other state with a repub governor.

[aquart]

12. Then Arizonans will die.

There needs to be an uncomplicated graphic that concisely shows the greedy unpatriotic rich walking on the corpses of the people they killed because they will not allow themselves to be taxed.

[MadMaddie]

10. She along with her TeaParty/Republicans have learned nothing.

It's going to take more tragedies and political elections to remove them from making decisions.

[old mark]

11. K&R- If they keep this up, no one with any illness will have health insurance...

Only those who do not need it will have it.

The Arizona Solution...


mark

[Catherina]

16. Terrible. Terrible! Rec'd n/t

[lonestarnot]

18. Looks like everyone but the richies are going to lose everything they've worked for but their teeth

and they're decaying w/o dental insurance. :(