Medicaid threatens to terminate girls nursing care

13-year-old Lauren Rainey is full of life. She's smart, outgoing, and always smiling. Her nurse describes her as a drama queen. At school she is the class clown.

"She's a happy child," her mother, Laura, tells NBC 15 News. Her size is more like that of a 3 year old. But that's the least of her medical concerns.

"She's got the trache, she's deaf, she's got asthma, got an enlarged heart, all types of bone problems, scoliosis," said her mother.

To help her breathe, Lauren is hooked up to an oxygen machine and a humidifing mist machine. Lauren's doctor said her airway is restricted to the size of the end of an ink pen.

"That's why she is constantly suctioned. She is always getting plugged up," added Laura. Lauren's airway is suctioned several times an hour to prevent her from suffocating.

Due to her medical condition, Lauren requires 24-hour a day supervision. Medicaid currently provides her a trained nurse for 10 hours a day. But a recent letter from Alabama Medicaid says a decision has been made to eliminate Lauren's care.

As to why, Medicaid officials would only tell Lauren's mother: "She doesn't meet the criteria. I don't know how they can do that."

http://wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=89D0FCBA-0DB5-4A98-BE23-DD342069DC16

Many more stories like this to come (on top of what has happened the past year).

Agencies like to boast about how they've reduced people on the rolls--and it's done by reducing eligibility/providing more hoops to jump through for benefits (like increasing the mandatory visits to the agnecies from 1x/year to 4x/year--not easy for anyone with a disability).

Consider reposting in Health/Education/Social Policy forum...

If you're sick and poor, tough shit for you.

Along with the lame, the infirm, mentaly deficient, the old...

There's a word for people like this: "untermenchen".

It's 'KKKompassionate KKKonservatism' now.
Same with 'KKKompassionate KKKhristian.'
We might as well spell em' like they are. :eyes:

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