The budget for fiscal year 2006 (the fiscal year we are in that started on October 1) still has not been passed. The final votes will be at the beginning of February. The fact that it has taken this long is a testament to the controversial nature of the budget bills that the congressional republican leadership has been trying to force on the country. Huge tax cuts for the rich combined with large cuts in programs that serve low-income people creates a toxic brew that the vast majority of Americans do not want to drink.
The House of Representatives leaders – who came up with the most cruel cuts – used a parliamentary gambit called “martial law” which manipulated and blindsided us all. They rushed the House to a vote on the spending cut reconciliation bill before members of the House, the press or the public had a chance to examine the legislation and understand what it would do. The vote was taken at 5:43 a.m., only four hours after the 774 page bill was filed in the House. This made it impossible for members to understand the latest changes from the conference with the Senate, much less leaving time for us to exercise democracy by communicating with our elected representatives.
These cuts in the budget reconciliation bill are disproportionately affecting women, especially the cuts in child support and Medicaid. Child support enforcement is so key because when women are supporting a family on their own they are in danger of falling into poverty. Medicaid is the essential health care program for women supporting children on their own, for low-income children, and for elderly women who need long-term care. A few things to keep in mind:
- Medicaid pays for 40% of births in the
United States
- Women account for 70% of recipients of Medicaid over age 15
- In 2003, one in ten (9%) of women were covered by Medicaid, and among low-income women, one in five (21%) were covered
The Medicaid cuts include benefit reductions and co-payments that mean many people will have to go without health care. In addition, if these cuts become law, for the first time since Medicaid began, states could deny contraception to poor women.
The final vote in the House of Representatives has not yet taken place, and many of the previous votes were close. Please take the time to let your representatives know that you oppose these draconian cuts. For more information, click on the links below.
OMB Watch Take Action on Budget Cuts Page
How Budget Cuts will Affect Your State – Coalition on Human Needs
Article Sources:
NARAL, Pro Choice New York: “Medicaid: A Women’s Health Program,” 2004 from the Protect Women, Protect Medicaid Campaign.
www.prochoiceny.org/assets/files/m edicaidandwomen.pdf
Henry J Kaiser Foundation: “Medicaid’s Role for Women,” November, 2004.
www.kff.org/womenshealth
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