Family Matters

WHAT TO DO: 1.  Please send us your email address by writing to kcrevelling@cprochester.org or by clicking here.  Be sure to include your street address and telephone number as well.  Visit our website frequently to keep abreast of current events.  2.  Make your voice heard! Call your legislators in their district offices.  District office phone numbers are listed on the Senate and on the Assembly website.  For the Senate district phone numbers go to: http://www.nysenate.gov/ For the Assembly district phone numbers go to:  http://assembly.state.ny.us/

January 13, 2010 Why Are States De-Institutionalizing Developmentally Disabled More Than Aged/Physically Disabled? From Steve Gold A Comparison of Medicaid Institutional versus Community Expenditures: FY2008 Aged/Disabled Compared to Developmental Disabilities. Click here to read more...

January 11, 2010  ACCSES Pushes to Make Health Insurance More Affordable Dear Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi: The Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare is grateful for your leadership in securing passage of health reform legislation in both the House and Senate. Although neither the House nor Senate bill ends the two-year wait for Medicare for people with disabilities— Click here to read more...

December 3, 2009  Letter from John Kept, CEO of Accses  www.accses.org The U.S. Senate is now debating its health care reform bill, and we are expecting a vote on an amendment that would remove the CLASS Act from the legislation!  We must ask our Senators to vote against any amendment that would remove the CLASS Act from the bill! Join advocates from around the country in making our voices heard!  Please call both of your Senators. Click here to find your Senators by State. The toll free number is (800) 958-5374.  Here is a Sample Script: Hello. I am calling to ask Senator ___________________ to make sure the CLASS Act remains in the final health reform bill and to oppose any amendment to strip it from the bill. The CLASS Act will help people to remain independent at home. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2009 Purpose of the Bill : To help adults with severe functional impairments obtain the services and supports they need to stay functional and independent, while providing them with choices about community participation, education and employment. Background: Currently there are 10 million Americans in need of long term services and supports, and the number is expected to increase to near 15 million by 2020.  Today, most Americans who have or develop severe functional impairments can only access coverage for the services critical to their independence (such as housing modifications, assistive technologies, transportation, and personal assistance services), through Medicaid.  Their reliance on Medicaid for critical support services creates a strong incentive for them to “spend down” assets and remain poor and unemployed.  With Medicaid paying 50% of the costs of long term services, increased expenditures on long term services are expected to add $44 billion annually to the cost of Medicaid over the next decade.   How the bill will help: The CLASS Act will offer an alternative path. It will create a new national insurance program to help adults who have or develop functional impairments to remain independent, employed, and stay a part of their community. Financed through voluntary payroll deductions  (with opt-out enrollment like Medicare Part B), this legislation will help remove barriers to independence and choice (e.g., housing modification, assistive technologies, personal assistance services, transportation) that can be overwhelmingly costly, by providing a cash benefit to those individuals who are unable to perform 2 or more functional activities of daily living.