Crooks and Liars Diane Sweet writes about the impact the Sequester is having on something I used to do when working part time at an assisted care and nuring home in Bensonville, Illinois while pursuing my first BA. “Meals on Wheels” would bring a meal a day to the elderly. Since some were apartment-bound with no way to get to a store; potentially, this was their only meal for the day. Often times, I was also the only face they might see that day. In My Datsun 510 (college transportation), I would make a dozen or so stops when I did this. I can vouch for the gratitude I received from making the deliveries.
While Social Security has kept many afloat in today’s economy, 15% of the elderly still live in poverty as determined by the supplemental measurement.
As Diane Sweet points out, the Sequester has only made it worst for seniors who depend on this and other programs to make ends meet and to bring them the simplest of things . . . a meal and a face at the door.
Sequester Impact: 1 In 7 Seniors Struggle With Hunger
Sequester cuts will total $1.2 trillion through fiscal year 2021. This year there is a 5.3 percent cut, totaling $85 billion. The cuts are indiscriminate and will impact nearly every federal program. Here are some of the ways this year’s cut is affecting food and hunger programs:
Meals for needy seniors lost in programs like Meals on Wheels (MOW): 4 million
Savings from cut of 4 million meals: $10 million
Rise in Medicaid costs due to cut of 4 million meals: $489 million
Net cost to U.S. federal budget due to cut of 4 million meals: $479 million
Loss of senior meals, California: 750,000
Loss of senior breakfasts, Palm Beach County, Fla.: 240 daily
Loss of senior meals in group dining facilities, Detroit suburbs and several counties: 86,000
Loss of home-delivered and group dining senior meals, La Crosse County, Wis.: 6,000
Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of the Meals on Wheels Association of America: “The real impact of sequester is that our programs don’t have the ability to expand to meet the growing need. We should be investing in these programs to ensure our seniors have the nutritious meals they need to remain healthy and independent.”
Patricia Hoeft, director of senior center nutrition, the Mid-East Area Agency on Aging (Missouri): “How do I decide which 300 seniors aren’t going to eat that day?”
Meals on Wheels recipient, home delivery program, La Crosse County, Wis.: “These meals are sometimes the only meal that I have a day. I don’t drive, so I have to rely on others to get around to doctors’ appointments. I only get $16 a month for food.”
References:
– “Sequester Impact: 1 In 7 Seniors Struggle With Hunger” Diane Sweet Crooks and Liars
– “Hunger and the Sequester, By the Numbers” Bill Moyers “What Really Matters”
– “A State-by-State Snapshot of Poverty Among Seniors: Findings From Analysis of the Supplemental Poverty Measure” The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation