Anyone at the University is aware that higher education is about to suffer some major setbacks.The massive budget cuts facing our state’s universities are starting to making headlines, and system representatives are justifiably raising plenty of noise about the negative effects the cuts will have on the state.While the cuts to higher education certainly deserve the press, another area is being equally slashed, yet attracts far less attention — the state’s already struggling health care system.The Legislature’s proposed budget would reduce funding for Medicaid reimbursement payments by about $200 million. That, to put it lightly, is a lot of money.Sometimes such huge figures  seem too abstract to mean much, so here’s some perspective: If the cuts are this deep, Baton Rouge General  estimates a $6.1 million loss. State EMS estimates a $3.6 million loss. It doesn’t take a policy genius to figure out that these kind of numbers are going to severely hamper health care providers’ ability to care for the state — especially the poor. And Louisiana’s health care system isn’t exactly a gem as it is.It’s understandable that cuts are necessary in the current economy, but health care — like higher education — is getting unfairly slammed.  The Legislature’s highest priority should be finding a way to fix the system, so that cuts can be distributed evenly and important services like health care won’t have to be so harshly gutted. These grim numbers only serve to reinforce the importance of Senate Bills 1 and 2, which would alleviate some of the pressure on health care and higher education by raising the amount that can be cut from other government departments from 5 percent to 10 percent.  This would mean less money lost for health care and universities — and a much more even distribution of funds.It doesn’t appear the budget woes we face are going away soon, so it’s imperative that the Legislature fix the system — or we might find our health care system crippled by disproportionate cuts and unable to provide its vital services to the state. —-Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]