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NEWS & LETTERS, January-February 2004

Misery of health cuts

Los Angeles--The way some people talk, budget cuts are supposed to provide relief and "tax relief” is the holy grail. In reality, budget cuts are causing people to suffer. I work with special needs kids. Their care is supposed to be paid by the state. But if there is an emergency and the mom and dad are not in the home, the nurse ends up staying 24 hours--though now we only get paid for eight hours.

Many people, especially disabled people on fixed incomes, cannot afford the co-pays for the clinic or their medicine. They die from lack of care. In Los Angeles, there are people practicing medicine without a license. Three people died from going to them.

People are going to Mexico or Canada to get cheaper medicine. That started pharmacists complaining that medicine from Mexico and Canada is no good. Is the choice risky medicine or no medicine at all?

A lot of people without insurance just suffer. The prices are going up, but salaries of patients and nurses are not.

A lot of doctors are getting out of private practice because malpractice insurance is too high. Yet Los Angeles County Hospital and USC General Hospital don't have enough doctors in the emergency room. People are dying because of budget cuts in hospitals.

--Georgiana

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