A-18 The Orlando Sentinel, Thursday, October 10, 1991

The Orlando Sentinel

FOUNDED 1876

633 N. ORANGE AVE., ORLANDO, FLA. 32801-1349 407 420-5000

HAROLD R. LIFVENDAHL,
President and Publisher

L JOHN HAILE JR.
Vice President and Editor
•
STEPHEN R. VAUGHN, Executive Editor
WILLIAM B. DUNN, Managing Editor
JANE E. HEALY, Associate Editor
JAMES P. TONER, Associate Managing Editor
MANNING PYNN, Associate Managing Editor
•
Deputy Managing Editors
MICHAEL W. BALES
GEORGE C. BIGGERS III
STEVEN L. DOYLE
DANA S. EAGLES

[Headline] Get realistic about Medicaid

Disabled activists attracted considerable attention this week in Orlando with their attempts to disrupt a convention of nursing home operators. They, in turn, countered with slick press packages and media briefings.

How inane did the rhetoric get? Well, the disabled called for an end to all nursing homes. And conventioneers painted ridiculously rosy pictures of life in a nursing home and criticized the protesters for refusing to negotiate with them on Medicaid spending.

How absurd. The nursing home lobby may be powerful, but it is still the job of government officials to negotiate Medicaid spending. And that's where these demonstrations should have been directed a lawmakers.

For despite all the grandstanding this week, both have legitimate concerns that Mate and federal leaders need to address.

Nursing home operators, for example, are right to demand that loopholes in Medicaid eligibility be tightened so that more tax dollars can be spent to care for those who truly need it.

As for the disabled, they certainly have a worthwhile cause in fighting for cost-effective assistance programs that can help them stay at home instead of in government-funded nursing home beds.

Clearly, the Medicaid system is headed for collapse if lawmakers don't start adopting more innovative means to contain sky-rocketing health care costs. Spirited debate and rational ideas are needed to help pull America from the brink of this crisis.

Enough rhetoric. Let's all focus on real issues and reasonable answers.

[Headline] Job well done

Despite the madness and mayhem at the convention center, two organizations are to be commended for the way they conducted themselves this week: The Orange County jail and the sheriffs office.

Both groups carefully planned and pre-pared themselves for handling the disabled protesters. Because deputies studied previous protests, they were able to minimize illegal disruptions. More important, they underwent special training and added extra staff and equipment so that the disabled could be properly aired for while in their custody. Looks like a job well done.

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piątek 12 lipiec 2013

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piątek 9 listopad 2018

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• Orlando, fall 1991

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2013:07:12 15:48:48

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