Protestors with disabilities from the group ADAPT interrupted Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week during a speech she was giving to the Campaign For America’s Future. The group was unhappy that Congress has not passed the Community Choice Act even though Congress included a version of it in recent health reform legislation.
At the start of the health reform process, Congressional leaders had said that long-term services and supports would not be included in health reform. After hearing from the disability community, however, some legislative champions took up the issue and long-term services and supports were included in health reform.
Background on the Community First Choice Option:
The final health reform included the Community First Choice Option. The Option allows state Medicaid plans to choose home- and community-based services and supports as the rule, rather than the exception, for Medicaid-eligible individuals with disabilities with incomes up to 150% of the Federal Poverty Level, who would otherwise require institutional care. To encourage states to choose this option, states that opt in will receive an additional 6% to the federal government’s share of Medicaid costs (referred to as the Federal Matching Assistance Percentage or FMAP) for five years.
The Community Choice Act would make sure that people with disabilities were given the opportunity to live in their homes and receive supportive services rather than being forced in to an institution. We along with most (if not all) disability groups support full enactment of the Community Choice Act.
The Community First Choice Option is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction. The Community First Choice Act is the better piece of legislation – however, Congressional leaders, including Pelosi and others who traditionally advance disability rights causes, felt that they could not garner enough support for its passage.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO ADVOCATE?
Andrew Morris
Director of Public Policy
United Spinal Association/National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Wow! I think you have the facts in your title reversed. Are you saying that Pelosi is the “Advocate”? So what is ADAPT? Do whatever it takes to get it done RIGHT!
I believe that she was referred to as a “supporter” but that’s cool, I think we all get your meaning. This is what makes politics interesting. Multiple groups may want in general the same thing but how they intend to get there and what they consider to be an acceptable outcome can be radically different.
I personally don’t think there is a “best way” to advocate. It’s very dependent on how dire the situation is, how desperate people are, and how much faith people have, or don’t have, in the present system. Personal choice- Democracy at its finest.
It is easy to say, “never say die”, to demand all or nothing, and turn on your supporters when they can not get all that you want, but they got you something.
The Health Care bill almost did not pass and there are many that want to repeal the gains we did get. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are out to take the Community First Choice Option away. So I say, thank the people that got us what they could get, so they will be in our corner when we go back to get the complete Community Choice Act, in the future.