It wasn’t surprising to hear Jane Kelly, executive director of the Kansas Home Care Association discuss the problems that face individuals with disabilities in Kansas.
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“Many of our members have given up complaining to us,” she said.
The reason? State of Kansas Medicaid management is looking for a new way to cut cost, and that savings will come by reworking the way care waivers are handled. Gabriella Dunn at the Wichita Eagle effectively covers this issue:
The waivers cover services such as 24-hour intensive care, help with daily living, educational assistance, work assistance and medical care.
The state agencies say they want to change the way services are offered and waivers are granted, and that the change will allow it to serve more people without spending any more money.
Can you reduce cost, change waivers, and serve more people with no drop off in services? Some have real doubt.
In testimony before the Kansas House, Tim Wood, Executive Director of Interhab summed up the problem facing Kansas:
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We are witnessing the early signs of a system breakdown for I/DD HCBS services, in two ways: 1. Kansas I/DD HCBS providers have not received a rate increase in a decade, and we are seeing the consequences of inadequate funding come to bear. In fact, over the past 24 years, this system has had only four rate adjustments – FY 06, FY 07, FY 08 and FY 09.
2. Over this same period, Kansas has watched the I/DD waiting list explode. Today there are nearly 4,000 Kansans with an I/DD who are waiting for services. This is an utterly shameful statistic and to continue to turn your back on it as a legislative body would be a sad commentary on our State’s values.
That’s right. Kansas’healthcare service providers for disabled residents have not seen a real rate increase in a decade. Service increases are sporadic at best, and the numbers of Kansans who wait on a disability waiver continue to wait, hoping for a chance at long-term services.
For Kansans who face a disability, the words of Donald Trump may sting. The indifference of their government to help provide support to those who need it most is not a sting; it is a punch to the gut. Confronting Kansas Medicaid officials, House member Jim Ward (D-Wichita) summed up the situation: “You don’t care what we say, you’re going to do what you’re going to do, and the Legislature be damned.”
Legislators may feel frustrated, and healthcare providers angered by the decisions. Those who are hurt most, however, are Kansans who have become the target for indifference.
And that is not about words or mocking a reporter. It is about turning a blind eye to people who are suffering.
Those long-term services in Kansas, though, are not a sure bet under the Brownback administration.
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Rachel Monger, director of government affairs for LeadingAge Kansas, told the committee that four nursing homes her group represents had closed due to Medicaid rate cuts and other issues. Two others sold their facilities to for-profit nursing home chains.
“Nursing homes are faltering, especially in rural areas where their services are most needed,” she said.
Tim Wood, executive Director at Interhab summed up the problem that faces Kansas residents:
You may already be able to understand the deep and negative impacts felt by Kansas families, when the needs of their son or daughter with disabilities are ignored.
Our nation has been transfixed by the attacks Republican candidate Donald Trump waged on a disabled reporter. Elie Wiesel famously said, The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
For Kansans who face a disability, the words of Donald Trump may sting. The indifference of their government to help provide support to those who need it most isn’t a sting; it is a punch to the gut. Confronting Kansas Medicaid officials, House member Jim Ward (D-Wichita) summed up the situation: “You don’t care what we say, you’re going to do what you’re going to do, and the Legislature be damned,”.
Legislators may feel frustrated, and healthcare providers angered by the decisions. Those who are hurt most, however, are Kansans who have become the target for indifference.
And that isn’t about words or mocking a reporter. It’s about turning a blind eye to people who are suffering.
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