As the economic recession unfolds,
state and local governments continue to force poor workers to shoulder the
burden. At least 20 states have begun turning women away or putting them on
long waiting lists for free cancer screenings, according to the American Cancer
Society.
For example, New York State has
stopped providing free screenings, such as mammograms, to women under 50 years
old. Additionally, at least 24 states have cut back on programs providing
assistance to the elderly.
One health care worker in Oregon
explained how patients react when they are turned away for services: “They get
angry, they get depressed, they get hopeless. … It’s like having a door slammed
in your face.”
Rather than finding a solution to
this service crisis, the cuts are projected to continue. The state budget
shortfall for fiscal year 2010 is expected to top $190 billion. State budget
gaps for the 2011 fiscal year are projected to total $92 billion in just 38
states, or about 16 percent of these budgets.
