Budget Cuts Brought to You by the Pathologically Vicious
Posted on October 22, 2009
By Chris Hilderbrant, Director of Advocacy
*Update* Center for Disabilities response to the Executive’s proposed Defecit Reduction Plan (DRP)
We’re all getting used to budget cuts. It used to only happen around budget season, but with the state and national economies in the tank, Governor Paterson has realized that the only thing he can do to boost his plummeting ratings is to talk tough about ‘making hard decisions’ and ‘cutting spending.’
Ok, I get all that. Money is tight and states should not make a habit of spending more than is needed. We’ve been suggesting areas where the state could reduce its spending for years, but none of the political “leaders” would make those tough decisions because the economy was solid and the leaders could keep spending on pet projects to keep their donors happy.
Times have changed. The money train has slowed down. Hard decisions do need to be made. But making decisions implies using good information to come to an informed conclusion about how to do the best we can in a bad situation. I’m not so sure that this is what Albany is really going for.
Last week, the Senate Republicans offered their suggestions for how to fix New York’s budget deficit. Among the numerous proposals to cut the usual suspects was one that promises to be particularly devastating to people with disabilities and seniors across New York. The Senate Republicans proposed to ELIMINATE all of the “optional” Medicaid programs offered in New York. We’re not talking about reducing or cutting back here; nope, the Senate Republicans are out to eliminate vital services for tens of thousands of New Yorkers.
The rhetoric of Senator Dean Skelos’ press release last week was echoed yesterday by Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (Ontario County) during the webcast of the “Leaders Meeting” with the Governor.
Let’s take a second to look at a couple of those “optional” services.
1. Prescription drugs
2. Personal Care
(there are 18 others)
The effects of #1 are pretty straightforward. The Republican plan is for the state to stop covering the cost of prescription drugs for the low income seniors and people with disabilities who depend on Medicaid. Everyone on Medicaid, all of whom are poor by definition, would have to find a new way to pay the exorbitant costs that the state doesn’t want to bear. This at the same time that the Governor [and Republicans?] are proposing cutting SSI for many of these same people.
There’s simply no way many of the people affected would be able to afford their medications without Medicaid. So, what happens to these people under the Republican plan? They don’t get their meds, they get sicker, many are in pain, many die.
#2 is only slightly more complicated. Personal care is the service used by thousands of seniors and people with disabilities who need hands on assistance for daily tasks like bathing, dressing and eating. There’s no way that the affected population will be able to afford to private pay for such assistance, so again we see that under the Senate Republican proposal, people don’t get vital services, their health declines and they either die or end up in nursing facilities. Nursing facilities have been demonstrated time after time to be more costly than personal care, so maybe the cost savings that the Senate Republicans are anticipating is in the shortened life spans of those who don’t end up in nursing facilities? A modest proposal, indeed.
It just so happens that myself, and most of the people employed by and served by the Center for Disability Rights live in districts currently represented by Republican Senators. So, let’s call the question…
Senator Michael Nozzolio: Do you support the Republican plan to eliminate personal care, prescription drugs and all other Medicaid optional services?
Senator George Maziarz: Do you support the Republican plan to eliminate personal care, prescription drugs and all other Medicaid optional services?
Senator Jim Alesi: Do you support the Republican plan to eliminate personal care, prescription drugs and all other Medicaid optional services?
Senator Joe Robach: Do you support the Republican plan to eliminate personal care, prescription drugs and all other Medicaid optional services?
CDR will be putting these questions to our Senators in the next few days. The answers will be posted here so everyone will know who supports plans to force seniors and people with disabilities to go without needed medications and to be forced into nursing facilities.
Filed Under Advocacy, Chris Hilderbrant, Community-based services, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, Home Care, Independence, Independent Living, Medicaid | 4 Comments
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I am a disabled forty-eight year old woman who has had to depend on a Home Health Aid for the past eight years. If I had to attempt to do the things that she does for me, I would end up in traction! I just don’t understand how Every time NY is in Fiscal crisis, they immediately turn to Medicaid with their budget knives! What don’t they understand about the word “Disabled”?? For many of us, these services are NOT “Optional”! Is Eating, Bathing, Dressing, Doing Laundry, Cleaning, Shopping for food etc. OPTIONAL? Is there Anybody who depends upon another person for these things making these decisions?? If there were, I’d bet my last dollar that they wouldn’t be so quick to turn to Medicaid cuts! Medicaid MATTERS!!
I am currently a volunteer at BCID’s advocacy office. I will NOT stand Idly by and watch this happen! Governor patterson has a brewing fight on his hands with this proposal…Count Me IN.
I only have one question — how much do clients/patients pay in taxes and or donations to the state – to offset the cost of their services. My guess is — none.
Seniors and people with disabilities must meet federal and state eligibility criteria to qualify for Medicaid home care. An individual could qualify today if they are poor enough, even after working a life time paying income taxes. If individuals had the money to substantially pay the state to offset the cost of services, the individuals would not qualify for those services from the state in the first place. Anyone living in the community pays sales and other taxes every time they go to a store. Your simple calculus is deficient on so many levels.
Over 40 years ago, national policy makers agreed that there is a limit to the degree that we will abandon people to the harsh realities of poverty. Many would say that we are still too stingy.
I have to say I’m shocked and I did not think I could be shocked anymore. No coverage for prescription drugs? I live in Virginia, we have very few optional services, but home services and prescription drugs are covered. No prescription drugs equals: no transplants for any Medicaid recipient, early death on dialysis for kidney patients without epo and specialized vitamin D but even before that, no coverage of blood pressure drugs will mean more people in kidney failure, more people having strokes, well you get the point. This is indeed a “modest proposal” to kill off people who have no alternatives.