Cuts due to war hurt seniors

Among the many negative consequences of the war in Iraq is the harm done to our health system. The budget freeze forced on the National Institutes of Health for 2007 is a direct result of the budget tightening of the Bush administration to pay for Iraq. Proposed funding for Alzheimer's research is $645 million, down from $652 million in 2006. This is devastating. Another shortcoming due to inadequate funding affects Medicare reimbursement. Doctors are opting out of Medicare to free themselves from this fee structure. The Republican Congress has failed to stop the cuts, thus making it harder for Americans to find physicians to care for them in their golden years. Bush says, “No child left behind,” but it is the seniors who are being left behind. Paul Schwab, Margate - Published in the Atlantic City Press, October 20, 2006