Students to Bear Big Burden Under the Final Budget Bill
By ROBERT PEAR and MICHAEL JANOFSKY
Published: December 22, 2005
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 - Nearly one-third of all the savings in the final budget bill comes from student aid, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
Doug Mills/The New York Times
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Not since 1997 has Congress made such an ambitious effort to slow the growth of benefit programs. The legislation includes these changes:
¶States would have sweeping new authority to impose premiums and co-payments on millions of low-income people covered by Medicaid. States can also scale back benefits for many recipients.
¶For the elderly, it would be more difficult to qualify for Medicaid coverage for nursing home care if they transfer assets to their children or other relatives for less than fair market value.
¶Medicare would freeze payments for home health services and reduce payments for medical imaging.
¶Welfare recipients would be subject to stricter work requirements. States would be subject to new financial penalties unless they put more people to work or further reduce the number of families receiving assistance.
¶Aid that helps states collect child support from absent parents would be reduced.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/22/politics/22student.html