Bush Medicaid Tricks Thwarted By Federal Judge
There have been quite a few accusations and questions about the Bush administration with regard to many issues. There’s the war, gas prices, the economy (in general) and now Medicaid tricks. President Bush has been trying for some time to go around Congress and push through a Medicaid regulation that would eliminate reimbursements to public hospitals, costing money, cutting services and probably costing lives. The sad part about this is that Congress made it clear that this was not to be even dealt with for at least on year because Congress had passed a moratorium on the resolution stating that not even the President could change it.
Unfortunately, President Bush and his administration tried to use a “rush through rule” to ignore the decision that Congress made. The Bush Administration tried to alter, and then process out – the moratorium. Fortunately for the public and for the public hospitals that serve the public, a Federal Judge was not fooled, nor was he impressed about what the Bush Administration tried to do. As a result, Federal Judge James Robertson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia put a stop to this less than honest and sneaky move.
It is certain because of this action by the Bush Administration, that this is not the last we will hear about the situation. I addition, there are other cuts looming on the horizon. There are seven cuts that are proposed that Congress is trying to stop, or at least, stall until they can be discussed further. These cuts, if approved, could cost the states a tremendous amount of money and possibly destroy some medical care providers. Not to mention the fact that services would be cut for those who need the services most.
We are told all our lives that it is essential to follow the rules and obey the laws. This should include the President and members of his administration, no matter who they are, what they believe or whether they agree with decisions or not. The unfortunate situation is that individual citizens without special privileges pay sometimes serious consequences when they do not. It is good to see the example of a judge who was willing to stand up for an important decision that Congress made to protect the people who need it most.
