SERFS LOSE INSURANCE COVERAGE IN PENNSYLVANIA-WASHINGTON-ARIZONA

Efforts to slash social spending in the name of budget deficits continue across the country. In Pennsylvania, more than 40,000 people have been dropped from a state-subsidized insurance program for the working poor. Newly elected Republican Gov. Tom Corbett cut the program adultBasic, citing a $4 billion budget deficit. The New York Times describes the move as "one of the largest disenrollments in recent memory." Before it closed, the program had been unable to keep up with massive demand. More than 505,000 people had been on its waiting list for enrollment. Meanwhile, in Washington state, Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire has dropped 17,500 adults from a state-funded program for the working poor. Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has proposed eliminating Medicaid coverage for some 250,000 people.