L.A. City Council Opposes Medicare Cuts
The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 in opposition of a congressional proposal to cut $1.5 trillion from Medicare and Medi-Cal.
"We cannot allow Congress to jeopardize the people in California with irresponsible cuts," said councilmember Richard Alarcon. "Millions of jobs and even more lives depend on these services."
A report from the California Health Care Foundation said that with 4.5 million enrollees, California has the largest number of Medicare beneficiaries than any other state. More than two million of those people live in Los Angeles County, according to Alarcon's office.
The proposed cuts could lead to health clinic closures and healthcare worker layoffs.
"If Congress heartlessly takes away the healthcare services that millions of senior citizens, parents, friends and family members in California depend on, the responsibility and cost of caring for those family members will fall to people already suffering through tough economic times," Alarcon said.
A Kaiser Permanente medical records technician represented those burdened with heathcare costs at the press conference. Tracy McGlory's mother, sister and brother face medical problems ranging from breast cancer to schizophrenia.
"Hard working families need to focus on living their lives," McGlory said. "Families should not crumble under the stress trying to get paid for healthcare services."
Alarcon offered a solution at the conference: cut defense spending and increase taxes on America's wealthy.
ATVN spoke with Roberta Medford, a Los Angeles resident who demonstrates against military spending.
"We are attempting to influence our congressman to defund our foreign wars that are not making us more secure and spend the money instead on domestic needs, of which we have too many: Medicare, social security, simple food a lot of people in this country is lacking," Medford said.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl said at the conference: "If we lose our Medicare, our Medi-Cal, if we lose our social security, this nation is done. It is finished. It is over."