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Reading an editorial in the Omaha World Herald, I was disturbed by the following information: Writer is Secretary of Iowa Citizen Action Network and involed with the National Long-Term Care Campaign...(she has a child with a disability). Those of us with Parkinson's in our families may be affected by these issues: "...Proposal in the federal budget that makes no sense at all: to restrict the definition of "homebound" as it related to Medicare home health services. Under current law, seniors and people with disabilities must be confined to their home to be eligible for home health care coverage. They are allowed unlimited medically related absences from the home, as well as infrequent or short non-medical absences based on each patient's circumstances." Under the new definition, beneficiaries will be denied home health services if: they leave their home for more than 16 hours per month ...or more than five times per month... or more than 3 hours at a time. Absences for medical reasons will be allowed only when services CANNOT be provided in the home. Seniors and adults with disabilities would have to choose between being prisoners in their own homes or losing the home health services they depend on. I am not trying to fragment our Udall efforts, but some on the Parkinsn listserv may be directly affected by this issue. Rita Weeks