Words fail on how our shared communal welfare status quo, as imperfect as it is, could be so trashed further this week. I guess that other people never had a brother like mine, who, on the brink of the worst kind of psychiatric crisis, mainly due to being broke, made such a turnaround once he obtained the Oregon Health Plan and food stamps. I guess that other people never had a brother with the onset of liver and heart disease, with a quite part-time job and parental care-giving…who couldn’t have met the new requirement of 80 work hours/month for either benefit for those under 65. Before there was no work requirement for the near elderly, and was limited to those under 55 (with some exceptions & differences by state). I guess the fact that Social Security, even back in its better staffed days, could take over a year to decide that disabled claimants were impaired enough to get benefits, escapes the notice of Congressional bozos. For these clowns have just made it harder to get any relief for those caught in the Social Security Appeal limbo. Our state may attempt to meet the shortfall to keep Obamacare “expanded Medicaid” (aka part of the Oregon Health Plan) going for low-income folks, but will it be possible? Buried in the “beautiful” bill’s small print is a massive cost shift to the states on such benefits—yikes! I’d never heard of Medicare Rights Center till now: their July 3rd report won’t help me sleep tonight (https://www.medicarerights.org/medicare-watch/2025/07/03/final-house-vote-looms-on-devastating-health-and-food-assistance-cuts). Living here in bleeding heart liberal hell, words really fail.