Letters to the editor

Census important

A special delivery is on its way to every Kansas household. As mandated by our Constitution, the Census Bureau counts every resident in the U.S. every 10 years.

This year, the census forms will be mailed to every residence on March 1. The form has 10 questions about your age, date of birth, and whether you rent or own a home. It will not ask for your Social Security number.

The information collected by the Census Bureau is used strictly for statistical purposes. By law, personal information cannot be shared with anyone including other government agencies.

The Census Bureau is an indispensable resource for my work on behalf of the people of Kansas. The bureau provides a picture of the population through the decennial census and is important as it determines our state’s congressional representation.

Other surveys conducted by the bureau provide details on trends in consumer spending, household income and health care. These metrics are central for forging policies that ensure the continued growth and prosperity of our state.

Should you have questions, please contact one of my offices in Overland Park, Dodge City, Topeka or Wichita. You can also contact the regional Census Bureau call center in Kansas City at (816) 994-2000. For general information, visit: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/.

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts

Dodge City 

Find another way to fund Medicare

Mr. Scott is a kindly friend of our family. He is 85 years old. He and his wife were educators. They lived modestly, paid their taxes, and saved so they could pay for their own care in old age.

Today, Mr. Scott is widowed and suffers from diabetes, arthritis, cancer, incontinence and early dementia. He needs help with most activities of daily living. The retirement community he calls home has been a godsend for him and his family.   

The Kansas Legislature is having public hearings on House Bill 2673 and Senate Bill 546, which will tax nursing home care to restore recent cuts in Medicaid, the state health insurance program for the poor.     

I cannot fathom trying to explain to Mr. Scott that his nursing home bill is going up over $1,000 a year because the Legislature can’t find another way to properly fund Medicaid. He would be upset and confused.  Is this what he gets for being frugal and responsible over a lifetime?

There are a lot of people like Mr. Scott in Kansas who cannot speak up for themselves to stop the nursing home care tax. I hope your readers will urge their legislators to work hard to find a way to fund Medicaid without burdening Mr. Scott.

Debra Harmon Zehr

President and CEO

Kansas Association of Homes and Services
for the Aging

Topeka

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment