‘Some Cuts Don’t Heal’
On Nurses Day, AFT Healthcare Urges Congress To Oppose Medicaid Cuts

Washington, D.C. — AFT Healthcare is focusing its members’ attention this Nurses Day (Friday, May 6) on the harm to millions of low-income adults and children if Congress gives final approval to the proposed multi-billion-dollar cuts in Medicaid.  These efforts include the launch of  “Some Cuts Don’t Heal,” a national campaign to thwart the Medicaid cuts. 

“Members of Congress should be voting to save lives, not to cut off access to healthcare for low-income Americans, including children, the elderly, the disabled and pregnant women,” said Candice Owley, chair of AFT Healthcare.  “Just ask a nurse – low-income people would have no other way to get treatment without Medicaid.  Patients will get sicker, and their care will become even more expensive,” Owley said.    

The congressional reconciliation bill that contains the $10 billion Medicaid cut is scheduled for an up-or-down vote before the full House and Senate in September.  If the cuts receive final approval by Congress and President Bush, Owley said, states and hospitals would have to make up the difference with more uncompensated charity care, which they cannot afford, and patients would go untreated.

Currently, 52 million Americans, including children and seniors, are covered under Medicaid, while 45 million Americans have no health insurance, including 8.4 million children. 

AFT Healthcare nurses nationwide are working on other issues, including:

Staffing levels.  AFT Healthcare supports legislation requiring safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and legislation requiring hospitals to disclose each unit’s staffing levels.  By limiting the number of patients for each nurse, nurses can spend enough time with each patient and get to patients when they require immediate care.

Mandatory overtime.  AFT Healthcare supports legislation to ban mandatory overtime.  It is dangerous to patients when exhausted nurses are forced to work additional shifts, especially without notice or consent.

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