Sedgwick County Commission cuts could kill 65 poor people

Once in a while, The Wichita Eagle has a decent article I can use and this article, "Report: Sedgwick County health budget cuts could contribute to 65 deaths a year," is one of them.

The Wichita Eagle reports "Over time, the cuts could lead to two additional diabetes deaths, five additional infant deaths, 17 additional cancer deaths and 41 additional heart disease deaths in Sedgwick County each year, according to the report."

This report tells us one thing we already know; that cuts in health care spending literally kill people.

So where are all those people concerned about "sacred human life" when it came to abortion? Fetuses are sacred human beings, but poor people and their families have no value? Their lives are of no concerned to the religious right-wing conservatives.

Sedgwick Commission Chairman Richard Ranzau responded to this report by claiming its authors simply wanted more government in our health care. Such conservatives never explain why such people want all this government in health care, as if they are part of this big conspiracy to take over and install fascism. The argument not only makes no sense, but it is a case of their convenience vs. people's lives.  

This is not that different from  Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's refusal to expand Medicaid (or KanCare). That money could save countless poor people's lives here in Kansas. But Ranzau and Brownback care only about their warped ideology —and not human life. And these are poor people, so the war on the poor continues.

-Otto

From The Wichita Eagle:

A Kansas Health Institute report released Sunday estimates that the proposed health cuts in the Sedgwick County budget could contribute to 65 preventable deaths each year.

The Kansas Health Institute, a Topeka-based nonprofit, estimated the number of deaths.

Commission Chairman Richard Ranzau said he thought the study was reckless and irresponsible.

For the rest click here.

Pix from asianheartinstitute.wordpress.com.