Restoration of funds welcome for transplants
April 08, 2011 9:05 PM
Although many poorer Arizonans will be harmed by health care changes in the state budget just signed by Gov. Jan Brewer, we are glad to see that she decided to restore funding for transplant patients.
The desperately sick Arizonans awaiting organ transplants had been caught in the middle of a debate over the state's Medicaid program - known as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The governor and the state Legislature plan to reduce availability of AHCCCS to save money.
When about 100 transplant patients were eliminated from AHCCCS last year as part of cost-saving measures, there were immediate outcries. Two patients died after the cutoff.
Advocates for the transplant patients rightly argued that the decision was like a death sentence since without the state assistance these patients would not be able to afford to get the needed transplants. The also noted that the amount of money involved was very small in comparison to the cutbacks being made and that other programs that were not a matter of life and death should instead be eliminated to save the money.
These arguments over time apparently sunk in with the governor and the Legislature, since both have now agreed it would be a good idea to provide transplant funding.
The transplant patients represent the reason why AHCCCS exists. The program is intended to serve as a safety net for the poor who cannot afford needed medical care.
Unfortunately, their example has not served to save the estimated 138,000 other AHCCCS patients who are being eliminated because they are considered too much of a burden to help.
The desperately sick Arizonans awaiting organ transplants had been caught in the middle of a debate over the state's Medicaid program - known as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The governor and the state Legislature plan to reduce availability of AHCCCS to save money.
When about 100 transplant patients were eliminated from AHCCCS last year as part of cost-saving measures, there were immediate outcries. Two patients died after the cutoff.
Advocates for the transplant patients rightly argued that the decision was like a death sentence since without the state assistance these patients would not be able to afford to get the needed transplants. The also noted that the amount of money involved was very small in comparison to the cutbacks being made and that other programs that were not a matter of life and death should instead be eliminated to save the money.
These arguments over time apparently sunk in with the governor and the Legislature, since both have now agreed it would be a good idea to provide transplant funding.
The transplant patients represent the reason why AHCCCS exists. The program is intended to serve as a safety net for the poor who cannot afford needed medical care.
Unfortunately, their example has not served to save the estimated 138,000 other AHCCCS patients who are being eliminated because they are considered too much of a burden to help.
