JFActivist

JFAAN Seeks Employment Commission

*** Take Action: Sign On Today***

From the Justice For All Action Network (12/7/09):

Dear Friends and Allies:

 One of JFAAN’s priorities is to increase the employment and economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities.

 The JFAAN Employment Task Force has developed, with lots of input from many disability organizations, the attached proposed draft Executive Order that we are about to ask the Obama Administration to issue that will create a Commission on Employment.  It incorporates and goes beyond some of Obama’s campaign platform promises to create such a Commission on Employment and Social Security disability benefits. 

>>>Proposed Exec-Order Creating Commission (Word)

We are signators to the below letter to President Obama requesting that he announce his Executive Order.  The letter suggests that if he is able to announce it before the first anniversary of his Presidency, it could enable the members of the Commission to be appointed in time for the Commission to hold its first meeting on or before the 20^th anniversary of the ADA on July 26, 2009.

We urge as many organizations as possible to sign on to the letter requesting the President to issue the attached Executive Order. Note that by signing on to the letter you indicate your organization’s endorsement of the Executive Order.  If your organization’s procedures do not enable you to give an organizational endorsement by this deadline, we encourage an officer of your organization to sign on as an individual and, if possible, to indicate his or her title with the organization.  

As we intend to deliver the letter to the White House on Friday, December 11, the deadline for sign-on’s is 10:00 am Thursday, December 10^th.  Send your sign on authorization – with full organizational names (no acronyms please) to United Spinal Association’s Director of Legislation amorris@unitedspinal.org.

Thank you for supporting this important effort.

Executive Order Cover Letter:

The Honorable Barack Obama

President

The United States of America

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, D.C. 20500

 

Dear Mr. President,

The Justice for All Action Network (JFAAN), a national coalition of organizations of, by, and with people with disabilities, applauds you and your Administration for declaring employment of people with disabilities as a top priority.

As follow-up to our June 29, 2009 letter outlining the JFAAN Employment Team Policy Recommendations as a roadmap out of poverty for millions of Americans with disabilities, we offer the attached draft Executive Order establishing a Commission on People with Disabilities, Employment, Economic Empowerment and Social Security as a blueprint to carry out your campaign assurances through concrete action.

As a measurable benchmark of your Administration's commitment to the employment and economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities, we look forward to your announcing your Executive Order to establish such a Commission. We anticipate it will create a national dialogue on these important issues. 

The 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coming up on July 26, 2010, offers an ideal opportunity for milestones. If you are able to announce your Executive Order before the end of your first year as President in January 2010, it could enable the Commission to be appointed in time to hold its first meeting on or before the 20^th anniversary of the ADA.

The attached draft Executive Order is endorsed by the signatories to this letter. It reflects due diligence, considerable thought and input from a broad perspective of stakeholders and subject matter experts, including employed subject matter experts with disabilities, who remain resources to your Administration in bringing the Commission to full fruition.

We are happy to work with Special Assistant for Disability Policy Kareem Dale and other Administration leaders to establish this historic Commission that will finally bring full access to the American dream for millions of men, women and children with disabilities for generations to come.

Signatories, 

Health Reform Update: Senate Bill Proceeds to Debate

Senate Votes to Proceed to Debate on Health Reform

Excerpt from the Capitol Insider (11/23/09):

by Annie Acosta

On Saturday evening, by a party line vote of 60-39, the Senate passed a motion to proceed to debate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). The bill includes:

• Major insurance market reforms including elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions and annual and lifetime caps;
• Coverage of rehabilitation and habilitation services and devices in the essential benefits package for the new insurance Exchange;
• An expansion of Medicaid eligibility up to 133% of the federal poverty level;
• The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act which will establish a new nation wide long term services insurance program that will help individuals and their families meet their needs without needing to be impoverished; and
• The Community First Choice (CFC) Medicaid option which will make comprehensive community-based services available to Medicaid beneficiaries in states which chose the option (it would begin on Oct 1, 2010 with no sunset date).
• Requiring the development of standards for accessible diagnostic and other medical equipment;

Yesterday conservative Democratic Senators stated that they would join Republicans to filibuster final passage of the bill unless the public option for the new insurance Exchange is removed. Debate will begin the week after Thanksgiving and is expected to last until the Christmas holiday recess.

 >>> To Sign Up for the Arc/UCP Newsletter 'Capitol Insider'

Disability Policy Priorities and Health Reform: A Comparison

From the Disability Coalition on Healthcare Reform (11/10/09):

National Health Care Reform for People with Disabilities:  A comparison of Federal Health Reform Legislation. 

Do the proposals address health reform priorities for people with disabilities?  At the beginning of the health care debate, the Disability Coalition for Health Care Reform set an overall goal and 5 policy priorities that would bring meaningful reform to people with disabilities and their families.  DCHR recently released a document that analyzes how those proposals do or do not meet the DCHR priorities. 

>>> For the Comparison PDF

>>> For the DCHR Site (Comparison Text Version Available here)

Disability Coalition Applauds Health Care Legislation that expands coverage for People with Disabilities

Press Release from the Justice For All Action Network (11/9/09):

Disability Coalition Applauds Health Care Legislation

that expands coverage for People with Disabilities

Health Care Reform one of 12 items on Coalition Agenda

(Washington D.C.) -- The Justice for All Action Network (JFAAN), a coalition of disability-led organizations and allies, applauds health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.   Passed Saturday in a House vote, the legislation increases the number of people with disabilities covered by health care and increases service options for people with disabilities. 

Key points of the legislation supported by JFAAN include:  expanding coverage to millions of people currently uninsured; a provision that makes it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage based upon pre-existing conditions; and the inclusion of the CLASS ACT and the Community First Choice Option (CFC). 

"People with disabilities have much at stake as health care reform gets one step closer to passage," said Andrew Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities.  "A good barometer of the new system that emerges from health reform will be the extent to which it works well for people when they need it the most--whether people with disabilities and chronic health conditions can obtain acute care and long-term services and supports without incurring financial hardship or being forced into a nursing home or other institution."

Under the current system of health care, people with disabilities have no legal protection if they are denied coverage based upon their disability.  “With this bill, people with disabilities who have been denied because of pre-existing conditions will have a legal right to coverage,” said Gary Arnold of Little People of America. 

Additionally, the long-term care system currently denies the right of people with disabilities to receive services in the most integrated setting, a right recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the 1999 Olmstead Supreme Court Ruling.  Thousands of people in the United States are forced into nursing homes because supports, like personal assistant services, can only be accessed in institutions.   The Justice for All Action Network has advocated to include the CLASS Act and the CFC, which expand optional home and community services, in new healthcare legislation.  “The House vote is a good first step as we approach the 20^th Anniversary of the ADA.  We challenge Congress to finalize a bill that recognizes the civil right of people with disabilities to access to services in their homes,” said Bruce Darling of ADAPT, a grassroots disability rights group. 

Healthcare Reform is a key component of 12-point JFAAN Joint Campaign Agenda the coalition has developed that addresses major policy issues of people with intellectual, physical and psychiatric disabilities. Throughout the healthcare debate,  JFAAN members have, through outreach, direct action, and negotiation,  advocated for health care legislation that includes more long term care choices for people with disabilities.

Created in an effort to build a strong and unified cross-disability movement, the Justice for All Action Network is organized into a steering committee of 13 national consumer-led disability organizations and more than 20 organizational and individual members.  The group was formed in the wake of the 2008 Presidential Election.

About the Justice for All Action Network

 

Mission: The Justice for All Action Network is a national cross-disability coalition, led by disability groups run by persons with disabilities with support from allies, committed to building a strong and unified cross-disability movement so that individuals with disabilities have the power to shape national policies, politics, media, and culture.

Working as a coalition, JFAAN is committed to accomplishing each item on the coalition’s agenda by July 2010, the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Steering Committee Members:  ADAPT, American Association of People with Disabilities, American Council of the Blind, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Hearing Loss Association of America, Little People of America, National Association for the Deaf, National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Survivor Organizations, National Council on Independent Living, National Federation of the Blind, Not Dead Yet, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, United Spinal Association.

For more information, contact:

Andy Imparato, American Association of People with Disabilities, 202 521-4301, AImparato@aapd.com;

Kelly Buckland, National Council on Independent Living, 202-207-0334, kelly@ncil.org.

House Passes Health Care

*** Just In ***

The House of Representatives passed the Health Care Reform bill this evening, November 7 shortly after 11pm.  Thank you to all the JFA Readers and disability activists who have been following and taking action to support this legislation.

Medicare Annual Enrollment Season, Will Healthcare Reform Affect 2010 Options?

From Allsup (10/13/09):

Healthcare Reform, Coverage Changes Highlight Key Questions for Medicare Annual Enrollment Season, Allsup Says

 

Medicare annual enrollment provides less than 50 days—Nov. 15 to Dec. 31—for Medicare-eligible individuals to evaluate and choose the plan that best meets their healthcare needs in 2010

 

Belleville, Ill. – October. 13, 2009 – More than 600,000 seniors and people with disabilities will be required to choose new healthcare coverage during the upcoming Medicare annual enrollment because their current plan is being eliminated. However, millions more could benefit by changing to a plan that better fits their needs, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare services. 

 

“Annual enrollment is the best, single opportunity to examine your Medicare coverage to make sure it truly meets your needs,” said Paul Gada, Allsup’s personal financial planning director and product manager for Allsup Medicare Advisor^®. Allsup Medicare Advisor is a Medicare plan selection service that helps people understand and choose the most affordable and appropriate Medicare plan for their healthcare needs. (Allsup is not a Medicare plan provider.)

 

“If there is a gap between what you need to cover your healthcare costs and what you have right now – this is the time to close the gap,” he said.

 

Medicare annual enrollment runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31, providing seniors and those with disabilities a finite amount of time to evaluate their options. Below, Allsup outlines common questions people have about annual enrollment.

 

Medicare Annual Enrollment: Common Questions

 

1. What are the biggest Medicare changes for 2010?

Traditional Medicare is not experiencing any changes in 2010. However, Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug plans, or Part D plans, are experiencing changes.

 

About 18 percent of Medicare Advantage plans are being eliminated, generally because they were too similar to other plans offered by the same company or had very low enrollment. Medicare Advantage plans are private Medicare plans that offer the same coverage as traditional Medicare, plus may include additional benefits such as prescription drug coverage and vision, hearing and dental care. Even with the reduced number of Medicare Advantage plans, there are still thousands available.

 

Some prescription drug plans are also leaving the market, but many still remain. Stand-alone Part D plans and drug formularies in Medicare Advantage plans also may add or drop coverage for certain prescription medications and experience premium changes. “You want to make sure the prescription drugs you take are still covered under your current plan,” Gada said.

 

“This is the best time to take a look at what your plan covers, how that is changing for next year and the impact on your healthcare needs and expenses,” he added.

 

2. Will healthcare reform affect my 2010 Medicare options?

No. The proposed legislation won’t affect Medicare plan options for 2010.

 

3. How will costs change for 2010?

A majority of Medicare participants will not see an increase in the basic premium they pay for traditional Medicare. Premiums will increase for some Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans.

 

The average monthly premium for Medicare Advantage plans will increase by $7 to $39. However, nearly 87 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have access to Medicare Advantage plans that do not require additional premiums. Additionally, more Medicare Advantage plans available for 2010 will cap out-of-pocket costs to $3,400 or less, providing beneficiaries with an added protection against unexpected costs.

 

The average monthly premium for prescription drug coverage (Part D) also will increase by $2 to $30. Most Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage, so this increase generally applies to only those choosing traditional Medicare with an additional prescription drug plan.

 

4. Why would I want to change plans?

Reasons people change plans include:

• You are unhappy with your existing coverage or provider;
• You are experiencing changes in your health;
• You expect changes in medical needs for the coming year; or
• Your current plan has changed and no longer meets your needs.

 

As with other insurance, you should shop around at least every few years to ensure you are getting the best value. “Take a look at your costs for 2009. What did you pay for your premiums, co-pays and deductibles?” asked Gada. “Then consider whether your coverage matched your needs. Did you have a hospital stay? Did you make several visits to your family doctor, or did you visit specialists, too?

 

“If your costs were too high or you paid more than you expected to, then you owe it to yourself to see if there is a plan that better meets your needs,” Gada said.

 

5. What changes can I make during annual enrollment?

You can:

• Move from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan;
• Move from a Medicare Advantage plan to traditional Medicare; or
• Add a Medicare prescription drug plan (Part D) if you do not have prescription drug coverage.

 

6. If I decide to change plans during annual enrollment, what do I need to do?

You need to identify and enroll in the new plan before Dec. 31. You can research the available plans and enroll on your own, or you can use the experienced help of an independent Medicare plan selection service like Allsup Medicare Advisor. Because most people have dozens of plans from which to choose, they can make the process easier on themselves by using an objective Medicare specialist, who helps identify the best plans for their needs and assists with Medicare enrollment.

 

7. If I do not want to change plans, how do I keep the plan I have?

If you do nothing, you are re-enrolled in your current plan. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan and it is being terminated, and you do nothing, you will be enrolled automatically in traditional Medicare. Keep in mind that traditional Medicare may have higher out-of-pocket expenses and more limited coverage than your previous Medicare Advantage coverage, so this may not be the optimal choice.

 

8. Where can I get more information?

All Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare plan should receive annual enrollment information from their Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan. Additionally, Medicare beneficiaries should receive a copy of the 2010 Medicare & You book from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For additional Medicare assistance, Allsup offers a free screening to help you determine eligibility for Allsup Medicare Advisor at http://ama.allsup.com.

 

About Allsup

Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, Medicare and workers’ compensation services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2009, Allsup employs more than 600 professionals who deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. The company is based in Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis.  

 

For more information, visit www.Allsup.com. 

 

The information provided is not intended as a substitute for legal or other professional services. Legal or other expert assistance should be sought before making any decision that may affect your situation.

Action Alert: Sign On to Health Care Letter to Congress

From CCD (10/9/09):

The below letter outlines the CCD Health and Long Term Services and Supports Task Forces' priorities for the Senate health reform bill.  It is consistent with everything we have advocated for over the past year and was approved by the CCD Task Force Co-Chairs.

We would like as many as possible national, state, and local organizations in the disability community to sign on to the letter.  Everyone can sign on easily by completing the short form at this link:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFZQQnU1SkxKUk9nVWgzLThlT0tSTXc6MA

So, please forward this request to your networks and other organizations. This letter is NOT for sign-on by individuals -- only organizations.

***Sign-on deadline: COB Wednesday, October 14.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at
savage@thedpc.org.   

Thanks very much,  Liz

Liz Savage
Director, Health and Housing Policy
Disability Policy Collaboration - A Partnership of The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy

Letter:

October  , 2009

The Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader                             

The Honorable Tom Harkin, HELP Committee Chairman   
                                                 
The Honorable Max Baucus, Finance Committee Chairman                 

The Honorable Chris Dodd, Senator

RE:      Critical Issues for People with Disabilities in Health Care Reform


Dear Senators Reid, Baucus, Harkin and Dodd:

The undersigned members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)*, as well as disability organizations that are not CCD members, sincerely thank you and express our appreciation for your tireless efforts to bring about comprehensive health care reform that ensures all Americans, including individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, have access to high quality, comprehensive, affordable health care that meets their individual needs and enables them to be healthy, functional, live as independently as possible, and participate in the community.

We believe that a bill that meets the needs of persons with disabilities and chronic conditions will truly meet the needs of all Americans.  As you merge the HELP and Finance Committee bills, we urge you to include in the leadership bill that goes to the Senate floor the following provisions. 

Private Market Reforms

1.    All private insurance market reforms should apply to as many health plans as possible as fast as possible, within and outside the exchange, including all employer-based plans. Market reforms of particular importance to the disability community include:

a.    the elimination of discrimination based on health status and disability;
b.    prohibitions on pre-existing condition exclusions;
c.    guaranteed issue and renewal requirements;
d.    elimination of experience rating;
e.    elimination of annual and lifetime caps in benefits; and,
f.    parity in benefits requirements.

2.    The benefit package must include “rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices,” such as durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and related supplies (DMEPOS).  This language appears in the HELP Committee bill.  Clarification that “behavioral health services” are covered as “mental health and substance abuse services” is also very important.  This language appears in the Finance Committee package.  Coverage of these benefits by private health plans is absolutely critical to meeting the needs of people with disabilities and chronic conditions.
 
3.    For purposes of defining health care terms for ease in comparing benefits between health plans, the term “durable medical equipment” (DME) should be clarified in the statute so the Secretary does not adopt the misguided and inappropriate “in the home” restriction used under the Medicare program. The term “DME” should be defined to include wheelchairs and other mobility devices that are used outside, as well as inside, the person’s home to enable community participation.  The term “prosthetics and orthotics” should be defined separately by the Secretary so there is no confusion that these are two separate and distinct benefits.

4.    Private coverage must be truly affordable, especially for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, and their families.  Subsidies to purchase coverage through the Health Insurance Exchange as well as out-of-pocket limits for low income individuals and families must be adequate to meaningfully subsidize coverage.

5.    The final bill should offer immediate access to state high risk pools for people who cannot otherwise access private insurance while the Health Insurance Exchanges are being established.

6.    Preemption of state benefit mandates should be minimized when pooling risk across state lines or if national plans are permitted.

Medicaid and Long-Term Services and Supports

1.    Medicaid eligibility should be expanded to cover individuals and families up to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).  This represents a major public investment in health care that will benefit low income individuals with disabilities and their families.

2.    The Community First Choice Option must be included in the bill to finally address the institutional bias in Medicaid. This new state option would provide individuals with disabilities who are eligible for nursing homes and other institutional settings with options to receive community-based services and supports.

3.    Inclusion of the “CLASS Act” is also critical to the needs of people with functional limitations that place them at risk of needing long term care.  The CLASS Act would create a voluntary insurance program to assist in providing people with functional disabilities access to long term services and supports necessary to remain independent. The program will be solvent, affordable, and save Medicaid money.
 
4.    The “free rider” employer fee exemption for individuals on Medicaid must be included in the final bill in order to eliminate financial disincentives to hire Medicaid beneficiaries.

The Medicare Program

1.    The Senate should reject proposals that bundle post-acute care (PAC) services with acute care hospital services, and show restraint when considering proposals that bundle post acute care in a variety of settings.  Any provisions relating to PAC bundling should require CMS to conduct rigorous demonstration projects to test PAC bundling before widespread implementation; require strong consumer protections and validated measurement tools; and exempt from the bundled payment specialty, low prevalence treatments (e.g., traumatic brain injury) and highly customized or relatively expensive items (e.g., limb prosthetics, custom orthotics, complex rehab mobility devices).  In the context of pilot programs, the Senate bill should include consideration of the Continuing Care Hospital (CCH) concept, where PAC bundling would be directed by those with PAC experience, not acute care hospital providers.

2.    Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities below age 65 and those with end stage renal disease (ESRD) should have access to guaranteed issue and renewability of Medigap supplemental policies, the same way that seniors on Medicare do today.  To limit out-of-pocket costs, ESRD beneficiaries should also have a choice to join Medicare Advantage plans.  S. 1669, the Equal Access to Medicare Options Act of 2009, a bill introduced by Senator Kerry, would accomplish both of these goals and we urge inclusion of these provisions in the health reform bill.  It makes little sense to prohibit discrimination based on health status in the private insurance market and then permit such discrimination to continue to occur in the Medigap market.

3.    The outpatient therapy caps exceptions process should be extended for two years to ensure that beneficiaries who need rehabilitation therapy the most receive it.

4.    To preserve access to physicians and therapists for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, adequate and appropriate payment levels for physicians and therapists should be maintained.

Prevention, Effectiveness Research and Other Policies

1.    The prevention provisions in the Senate bill should include prevention of secondary conditions, strategies to prevent injuries, and the collection of scientifically verifiable data concerning effective interventions that will prevent secondary conditions and maintain function for persons with disabilities and chronic conditions.

2.    Comparative effectiveness research (CER) should be an important tool in helping distinguish between the effectiveness of both existing and emerging treatment options. However, CER should not lead to inappropriate restrictions in coverage of and access to therapies, treatments, medications, and devices for persons with disabilities and chronic conditions. Outcomes of CER should not be a substitute for the clinical judgment of the physician or health care professional in consultation with the patient.

3.    “Disability” should be recognized as a demographically identifiable category for purposes of research and included in reporting and other requirements related to health care disparities along with other categories such as race, gender, and socio-economic status.  CMS should survey providers to determine where people with disabilities receive treatment, where the providers are located, whether their facilities and equipment are accessible, and whether their employees have received disability awareness training.

4.    Diagnostic and treatment equipment must be accessible to those with disabling impairments. Accessibility guidelines for such equipment should be developed by the Access Board and then adopted as standards by applicable federal agencies.

5.    A Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute should be established with governance derived from the input of patients, providers, government officials and other stakeholders to focus primarily on clinical effectiveness rather than cost-effectiveness.  With a patient-centered process, there is a greater opportunity to provide assurance that this important research will lead to improved patient care and not reduced cost through restrictions in coverage and access to treatment options.

Again, we thank you for your extraordinary leadership to bring about comprehensive healthcare reform which ensures that individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions have access to high quality, comprehensive, affordable health care. We look forward to working with you to enact legislation that not only meets needs of people with disabilities and chronic conditions, but of all Americans. 

If you have any questions, please contact the CCD Co-Chairs listed below.

Sincerely,


CCD Members and other National, State and Local Organizations:

CCD Health Task Force Co-chairs:

Peter Thomas, Brain Injury Association of America
Mary Andrus, Easter Seals
Liz Savage, The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy Disability Policy Collaboration
Angela Ostrom, Epilepsy Foundation
Tim Nanof, American Occupational Therapy Association

CCD Long Term Services and Supports Task Force Co-Chairs:

Marty Ford, The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy Disability Policy Collaboration
Suellen Galbraith, American Network of Community Options and Resources
Lee Page, Paralyzed Veterans of America
Andrew Morris, United Spinal Association

URGENT: Save Long Term Services and Supports in Health Care Reform

From CCD (10/7/09):

URGENT: We understand that the CLASS Act is coming under attack as the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees begin to merge the two bills into one Senate health reform bill.  Please have lots of people sign and FAX the attached message (Download CLASS Act letter) to their Democratic Senator who serves on one of those Committees (Finance or Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)).  This is urgent.  Please spread the word and get people to FAX these messages ASAP.

The message needs to be FAXed to Capitol Hill offices tonight (October 7) and Thursday morning (October 8). For your Senator's Fax info go to your Senator's website at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Whatever you can do would be great.  The CLASS Act and the CFC Option are complementary and CLASS supports the CFC Option.

Action Alert: THIS WEEK Support Long Term Services and Supports in Health Care Reform

Community NOW Advocacy Day

Thursday, October 8

 

It is up to YOU to tell Congress Long-Term Services and Supports MUST be included in Health Care Reform. We urgently need a strong and visible presence on Capitol Hill of disability and aging community advocates to make sure Congress does not strip these provisions from the bill.

Join your fellow disability advocates to make sure the Community First Choice Option and the CLASS Act make it into the final health care reform bill.  Opponents of long term services and supports reforms are working hard against us! 

For a document that was just leaked to us on what one large long term care insurance company is doing to oppose the CLASS Act Download Genworth leak.

How to Participate

Action on the Hill:  Join Advocates from across the disability community Thursday, October 8 at 1:00 pm Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 430

Learn about the Bill and Visit your Senator's Offices to Drop off Information on the CFC Option and the CLASS Pla (Download Community Now info)

Call-In Day: Phone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or use Families USA's toll-free number 1(800) 828-0498 . A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request or go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm to find your Senator’s contact information.

Feel free to use this script when calling:

Hello (say your name and where you are calling from).  I’m calling as a member of the disability community to ask the Senator to pass health care reform that retains both the CLASS Act and the Community First Choice Option. These bills work together to control costs and increase choice in health care by improving access to long-term services and supports.  Thank you.

Visit Local Senate Offices: Bring this message to your Senators in an office near you.  Find your Senator’s home offices on their websites (available through http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm ).  Visit them with your story and make sure their state staff pass the message along.

Background

The Community First Choice (CFC) Option was proposed by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) as a way to get the key provisions of the Community Choice Act in the health care reform bill.  The option would encourage states to provide Medicaid home and community based attendant services (rather than require them as the CCA would do). The CFC Option would be a major step in helping to end Medicaid's institutional bias.  The CFC Option is part of the Chairman’s Mark in the Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill that is currently being marked up.

The Community Living Assistance Supports and Services (CLASS) Act (also called the CLASS Plan) would create a national voluntary long term care insurance program.  It was developed to help people better prepare for their long term care needs and to help take pressure off of the Medicaid program.  The CLASS Act is in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee's version of the health care reform bill.

Unfortunately, the long term care insurance industry has recently launched a full scale attack on the CLASS plan (despite the fact that it will reduce the federal deficit by $58 billion)

Please encourage your staff, volunteers, and any other advocates for improved home and community based services to attend this critical event, and please forward this alert to others.

Click here to RSVP for the event.  (If you have never set up a Google account, you may be asked to do so before viewing the RSVP form.  It only takes about 15 seconds to set it up.)  It is very important for us to know how many people to expect for this event, so we strongly encourage you to RSVP.  But if you can't RSVP, please come anyway!

If you have any questions or are having trouble with the RSVP form, please contact me at acosta@thedpc.org . 

Thank you in advance for your support.

Just In: Senate Finance Draft Bill Now Available

From the JFA Moderator:

The Chairman's Mark of the Senate Finance Committee's Health Care Reform Bill is now available at http://thomas.loc.gov/

This version of the bill is scheduled for markup by the Senate Committee on Finance On September 22, 2009 at 9:00 a.m., in 216 Hart Senate Office Building

A few preliminary notes from Mark Johnson:

The Chairman’s Mark would standardize Medicaid eligibility for all parents, children, pregnant women and childless adults at or below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), or   $30,000 a year for a family of four ($14,400 for an individual), beginning in 2014.

Addressing Health Care Disparities – The Chairman’s Mark would require federal health programs to collect uniform data on race, ethnicity, gender and disability to help program administrators and researchers work to end disparities among these groups.

Comment below with positives and negatives about this version.