Sometime, early in 1939, the
father of a severely disabled child wrote a letter to Adolf Hitler requesting
that his child be killed by the Government.
Which prompted Adolf Hitler to draft and sign a document
authorizing the destruction of individuals judged to be not worthy of life.
(Vernichtung lebensunwerten Lebens’). This barbaric policy emerged from the growing popularity of the eugenics
movement. Eugenics is based on the concept or belief that only genetically
suitable individuals should have children. This idea was very popular in
America, where a number of states adopted legislation that legalized the
sterilization of the mentally ill, among other atrocities.
Hitler placed Philipp Bouhler and Viktor Brack, his deputy,
in charge of implementing the program. The headquarters were established at Number 4
Tiergartenstrasse. The euthanizing program was dubbed T4. Hitler informed the
public that the funds saved by euthanizing the disabled could be put to better
use treating patients who were injured in the war. In the following two years, the T4 group
planned and carried out the murder of up to 90,000 disabled men, women and children. As WWII
progressed, the euthanasia program that was designed to eradicate the disabled was
extended to the Jewish Concentration Camps, where individuals who were too young, old or sick
to continue working were herded into showers and killed with poisonous gas.
Why am I referring to the barbaric events of WWII? Because
something similar is taking place right here in the United States of America. Once again, the
tools of murder are slow starvation, substandard housing and the
routine denial of health care services to our most vulnerable citizens. It’s horrifying, isn’t it? Yet, no one really seems to care...
Let’s take a look at the effects of recent federal SNAP (food
stamp) reform. This quote is taken from an article by Robert Gebelhoff of the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.
“When Beverly Baldwin first found out that her food stamp
benefits were going to be cut last year, she misheard that her $96-a-month aid
was going to be slashed to $60. She was shocked to find out while grocery
shopping that she really had only $16. Baldwin, a 70-year-old diabetic with
high cholesterol and high blood pressure, is now getting behind on bill
payments as she struggles to stretch her money.”
Malnutrition was already a serious health issue in the
United States before recently adopted cuts to the SNAP program. were made. Remember all
those billboards plastered across the country? One out of every six Americans
is Hungry?
But I digress. What are the causes of malnutrition for the
economically vulnerable? Too little food or a diet lacking in essential
nutrients. For instance, seniors or the disabled may have trouble affording
groceries, especially if they're taking expensive medications or attempting to
live on a limited income in an area with a higher than normal cost of living. Add the
requirement of a special diet – high housing costs and expensive medications; and, we have all the necessary ingredients to create an environment that results in mass
malnutrition and hunger.
The U.S. National Library of
Medicine/National Institutes of Health tells us in a recent study about
malnutrition that:
“Malnutrition is a frequent condition, both widely
represented in geriatric population and underestimated in diagnostic and
therapeutic work-up, and is known to affect health status and life expectancy
of elderly people… In this review, the authors highlight the ways that malnutrition,
could lead to an impairment of quality of life in elderly people.
Notwithstanding the great impreciseness and confusion that surrounds the term
'quality of life', the authors focus their attention on the correlation
existing with the recently occurring changes to patients' health status and
life-style, analyzing the relationship with frailty, failure to thrive and
homeostatic balance failure syndrome. With the latter term, the authors
introduce a pathological condition widely represented in the late stages of
malnutrition that often evolves in multiple organ failure and lastly in the
death.”
Hitler may have been a monster, but, at least initially, he
murdered his victims quickly. In America, thanks in part to President Obama's public support to cut Social Security and the Republican party's determination to balance the budget on the backs of the poor, our economically
vulnerable populations are allowed to waste away slowly, until they reach the
late stages of malnutrition, which may result in multiple organ failure; and, premature
death.
But not before the local hospital or nursing home gets to charge Medicare or
Medicaid hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide advanced medical care for
a medically recognized condition that could have been prevented by merely providing
the economically vulnerable with adequate nutrition (SNAP benefits). No one can live on macaroni and cheese forever.
Remember our friend Beverly? She is hardly the only senior
citizen or disabled person who discovered - much to their dismay - that their
SNAP benefits had been cut from $96 a month to $16 dollars per month. Thousands
and thousands of Washington state residents have also had their SNAP benefits
reduced to $16 dollars per month. Meanwhile, the state of Washington is number
11 in the nation for individuals who are categorized in the top 1% of
income earners.
The Washington State Department of Health, (which uses two separate formulas to determine SNAP benefits), will tell you that
the reduction in senior and disabled benefits is the result of federal
legislation. And, that the state of Washington is powerless to help clients who
derive their income from Social Security, SSDI, or SSI, to obtain benefits
equal to the benefits received by able bodied state residents who do not receive federal
funds. The crux of the matter? If you are old or disabled, you no longer have any value in a dysfunctional capitalist society.
Disabled and need surgery? According to DSHS, a disabled person who receives $1053 dollars per month in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits earns $420.90 dollars above the state defined, allowable income and resource standards for persons who are 65 or older or who have a disability. According to WAC 182-512-0010, the income limit for the elderly or disabled is $733.00 per month. So, in order to qualify for a Medical Spend down, an elderly or disabled person must prove that they owe or have paid $2525.40 in allowed medical expenses in a three or six month period. However, DSHS doesn't tell you which expenses are allowed or not allowed. that won't be revealed until you submit your medical bills.
So, a senior or disabled person with a yearly fixed income of $12,636 dollars, and no other resources, is not eligible for additional medical assistance from the state of Washington via Washington Apple Health. Please keep In mind that a separate set of rules apply to able-bodied residents of the state of Washington. In addition, individuals who qualify for Medicare have a $147 dollar deductible they must meet each year before they can visit a doctor with a 20% co-pay. If a patient is taking a large number of expensive prescription medications, it can be very difficult to also pay for food, medical deductibles and safe housing.
If you are disabled and under the age of 65, it is difficult to find a Medigap program in the state of Washington. Which means, individuals with physical disabilities who need surgery, (think car accident) may not be able to receive the medical care they need in order to be able to function again. Medicare Supplemental insurance is readily available to elderly retirees over the age of 65.
In closing, Social Security was established to care for people who could no
longer work, including disabled workers and their families, the families of
deceased workers, and retirees. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965
to guarantee that the elderly, disabled, and poor had access to health care.
In a
modern nation with millions of people, these public programs serve millions of Americans. So, next time you hear a politician demanding cuts to programs that serve the elderly and disabled, remind him or her of the unnecessary pain and suffering they are inflicting on a generation who has already paid taxes and funded government programs for their entire lives. The majority of Americans pay Medicare and Social Security taxes throughout their working years. Our continued support for essential public insurance programs are
an important way for us to demonstrate our compassion for our neighbors and ourselves.
Happy Thanksgiving, America. Well, at least to those Americans who can actually afford a Thanksgiving dinner.
On a lighter note. Below, you will find Jon Stewart's reaction to Fox News attack against food stamp recipients.
On a lighter note. Below, you will find Jon Stewart's reaction to Fox News attack against food stamp recipients.
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