J.E.D
Gold Member
- Jul 28, 2011
- 14,159
- 2,229
- 280
- Banned
- #1
Flight Delays Deal Has Other Sequestration Victims Asking Congress, WTF?
Victims of sequestration lashed out at Congress on Friday, after lawmakers moved swiftly to address long lines at airports while leaving other cuts, primarily those affecting low-income Americans, unaddressed.
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"It's perplexing that we're saving programs that are inconveniencing others, but we're not saving programs that are saving lives," said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels, which estimates that, because of sequestration, seniors will be getting 19 million fewer meals.
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"The sequester is really obvious when you are standing in line at an airport," explained Sue Nelson, vice president of federal advocacy at the American Heart Association. "I was waiting in line myself. People that you think never heard the word 'sequester' were using it in line. The problem with the National Institute of Health is, you are not going to die tomorrow because of a sequester cut. What it will mean is some cure for heart failure or a disease that could have been available in your lifetime may now not be."
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"This is an issue that we have been trying to raise in every avenue we can find, having our doctors and patients call congressional offices to explain what an emergency it is for us and patients in terms of access and continuity of care," said Dr. William Nibley of Utah Cancer Specialists, based in Salt Lake City. "We haven't gotten much of a response. Then there is a little news about delays and all the sudden there is legislation and debate. That's frustrating to us. We think cancer patients and their access to care is an issue that is critical. Those patients feel like their care is super-critical and it's being ignored."
"I would invite anyone in Washington to come look my patients in the eye and tell them that waiting for a flight is a bigger problem than traveling farther and waiting longer for chemotherapy," he added.
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"If this wasn't just poor people's programs affected most, there would be national outrage," said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. "It places the cuts on the most vulnerable and the least visible."
Victims of sequestration lashed out at Congress on Friday, after lawmakers moved swiftly to address long lines at airports while leaving other cuts, primarily those affecting low-income Americans, unaddressed.
~
"It's perplexing that we're saving programs that are inconveniencing others, but we're not saving programs that are saving lives," said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels, which estimates that, because of sequestration, seniors will be getting 19 million fewer meals.
~
"The sequester is really obvious when you are standing in line at an airport," explained Sue Nelson, vice president of federal advocacy at the American Heart Association. "I was waiting in line myself. People that you think never heard the word 'sequester' were using it in line. The problem with the National Institute of Health is, you are not going to die tomorrow because of a sequester cut. What it will mean is some cure for heart failure or a disease that could have been available in your lifetime may now not be."
~
"This is an issue that we have been trying to raise in every avenue we can find, having our doctors and patients call congressional offices to explain what an emergency it is for us and patients in terms of access and continuity of care," said Dr. William Nibley of Utah Cancer Specialists, based in Salt Lake City. "We haven't gotten much of a response. Then there is a little news about delays and all the sudden there is legislation and debate. That's frustrating to us. We think cancer patients and their access to care is an issue that is critical. Those patients feel like their care is super-critical and it's being ignored."
"I would invite anyone in Washington to come look my patients in the eye and tell them that waiting for a flight is a bigger problem than traveling farther and waiting longer for chemotherapy," he added.
~
"If this wasn't just poor people's programs affected most, there would be national outrage," said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. "It places the cuts on the most vulnerable and the least visible."