Legislative Action Alert - January 15, 2010
Once again this year, the legislative session has begun early. The Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee met on Tuesday morning to hear testimony from the departments and gather input from the public. The Committee will meet again this coming Wednesday to make recommendations regarding another possible 4% reduction to take effect between now and the end of June. Because of federal matching money, this would likely translate to a reimbursement rate cut of around 15% (on top of last year's 3.5%) for community-based providers and families who self-administer services.
The Committee has also been asked to suggest areas for a potential 5% cut in Fiscal Year 2011, if the economy does not turn around. This would be in addition to the loss of federal stimulus money at the end of the 2010 calendar year. If the Legislature and is unable to come up with a way to replace a minimum of $2 million, the Division of Services for People with Disabilities could be facing at least a $10 million budget shortfall. The only way to fill a gap like that may be to end high-intensity residential supports for several hundred individuals or respite care for several thousand families.
We are also concerned about the impact of potential cuts on the state's mental health system. As a consequence of a 5% cut, the Utah State Hospital could lose nearly 100 staff members and an entire unit. Local mental health centers may lose a combined $3.25 million and would almost certainly have to reduce the number of clients they see or the services they receive.
Finally, if no money is found for the assistive technology program of the independent living centers, waiting lists will grow longer and individuals will not be able to get the equipment they need to live more independently or be active and productive members of their communities.
If these or other supports or services are important to you or a family member, please contact your senator, representative, and members of the HHS Appropriations Committee to let them know. Also ask friends and colleagues to do the same. If you e-mail or talk to your elected officials, remind them that these are not insurmountable challenges and encourage them to view this crisis as an opportunity to rethink what we are doing and how we are doing it so that we are better prepared next time. Some ideas you could share with them include:
- reviewing the whole system to ensure that individuals are receiving the right supports, at the right time, in the right place;
- redesigning the long-term care system so that money is attached to the person rather than the place, and using any savings to enhance and expand the community-based infrastructure;
- helping families keep their loved ones at home or in their community through a tax credit or by paying primary caregivers;
- enabling individuals or families to pay their fair share by purchasing Medicaid through a sliding premium and fee scale;
- enacting a variety of cost-effective and proactive supports through Medicaid state plan options;
- allowing individuals and families the choice to use less expensive self-administered services;
- recruiting and retaining qualified direct care staff through AmeriCorps and student loan forgiveness programs; or other suggestions.
To find your legislators go to http://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp fill in your address. Click on your legislators photos to bring up their contact information/email address.
Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee members are listed below:
Senator Allen Christensen (Co-Chair)
achristensen@utahsenate.org
Rep. John Dougall (Co-Chair)
jdougall@utah.gov
Senator Margaret Dayton
mdayton@utahsenate.org
Senator Dan Liljenquist
dliljenquist@utahsenate.org
Senator Pat Jones
pjones@utahsenate.org
Rep. Ronda Menlove
rmenlove@utah.gov
Rep. Ben Ferry
bcferry@utah.gov
Rep. Keith Grover
keithgrover@utah.gov
Rep. Kraig Powell
kraigpowell@utah.gov
Rep. Paul Ray
pray@utah.gov
Re. Rebecca Chavez-Houck
rchouck@utah.gov
Rep. David Litvack
dlitvack@utah.gov
If you do have a conversation, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts about it. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. As always, thank you for your interest and support. I look forward to working with you during the upcoming session and beyond.
Sincerely,
Andrew Riggle
Public Policy Advocate
1-800-662-9080 (Voice) or 1-800-550-4182 (TTY)
801-557-9182 (Mobile)
ariggle@disabilitylawcenter.org