It was shocking to hear Gov. Baldacci’s cruel plan to eliminate a host of services, including Speech Therapy and Audiology, for adult Medicaid recipients.
Clearly, little thought has been given to the consequences. An adult who may have a stroke or other disease may require rehabilitation for a swallowing and communication disorder.
Without these essential services, Maine people will become more compromised and debilitated and may be unable to meet daily nutritional needs. These cuts assure some Maine people will not get the help they need to eat safely or to communicate basic life safety needs. As a result, there will be sicker people, less able to help themselves, leading to recurring hospitalizations, increased disability and increased costs. An ill-informed and short-sighted plan at best.
Eliminating these services to Maine people relegates our most needy citizens to Third World status. It was Hubert Humphrey who said: “The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life – the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.”
Clearly, the governor’s budget proposal fails this test.
Michael Towey
President
Maine Speech Language Hearing Association
Belfast
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