Sixteen U.S. senators Thursday signed their names on a
letter calling for the elimination of $24 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts
from President Bush's fiscal year 2009 budget.
The letter, which was addressed to Senate Budget
Committee Chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-NH), comes
one day after 76 members of the House of Representatives voiced similar
opposition to the proposed budget cuts.
The FY 2009 budget blueprint aims to significantly cut
funding for skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes over the next five
years. The letter points out that the proposed cuts are "especially
egregious" in light of the growing senior population and already
drastically under-funded Medicaid system.
Leaders of the American Health Care Association and
Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care issued statements thanking the senators
for their efforts in defeating the budget proposal.