Calif. Budget Cuts May Affect Dialysis Patients

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Calif. Budget Cuts May Affect Dialysis Patients

Reporting
John Lobertini
Feb 25, 2008 7:26 pm US/Pacific

SACRAMENTO (CBS 5) ― In an effort to bridge a $16 billion budget gap, Governor Schwarzenegger has already ordered some mandatory cuts in state health care spending. But for dialysis patients, those cuts could be a matter of life and death.

Last week, a 10 percent cut in medical reimbursements was approved. Over the next 16-months, $1 billion in medical funding could be lost, money used to care for the poor, elderly and abused.

More than 40,000 people receive dialysis treatments in California, with much of the treatment provided by the state and federal governments. If treatment is cut, patients may end up in the emergency room, a trip that costs the state considerably more.

Our video report has more: http://cbs5.com/local/California.budget.dialysis.2.662639.html